Secure, Contain, Protect
by JstaSimpleWriter
Summary: Regrettably, we will now be cooperating with third parties to prevent the revival of [REDACTED] and the XK-class scenario that will shortly follow. We had persevered without such aid, and we wish we did not need to make this decision, but desperate times calls for desperate measures. -The Administrator(as revised on 06/16/2019) We apologize for violating our promises.
1. Team Helios

**A/N: Well, how long has it been since I've even put a single chapter? Couple years, I guess. During that time, I have been writing mostly out of enjoyment, and for a very specific audience.**

 **I don't want to say my writing has improved immensely, but I am certain you will find a stark contrast between a story I've written when I was some kind of middle school teen who thought he was the** _ **shit**_ **and me today, a kid who is just going to university within the next two weeks. A kid who is a slightly smarter dumbass(or slightly smarter than a dumbass...?)**

 **Without further ado, let's get into the story :)**

* * *

" **If it doesn't bother you, we would like to ask you a few questions before we approve of you."**

 _"What questions?"_

" **It will pertain to you and how you will hold with our mission statements."**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

" _This is the team who you'll be working with now, excellent people"_ she had told him.

"It's a sound plan, yaknow! Admit it!" He sat listening to the cacophony of voices as they argued over how to complete their next mission.

Raised voices bounced off the walls of the room and the hostility was going to start another fight.

Morality was always a problem with the two arguing. One wanted violence and violation. The other wanted violence _without_ all the unnecessary necrophilia.

"It is absurd! All _you_ want to do is barge into the compound and rape all the women you see!" The girl with the mauve colored hair spat at the wicked looking man with hair color bordering white leaning over the table as he had a finger jabbed on the map.

"So what, Sylvia? If I take care of the women fighters, that'll take out a number of combatants, won't it? I have my pleasure and we have a better chance if completing the mission! Win-win!"

The girl was close to biting his head off when a second man who appeared to be a more fit and athletic version of the first broke into the argument, "Makes sense, though I won't particularly support the idea, it will work. If he gets overwhelmed, I can back him up."

A second woman, a young and beautiful woman with blonde hair and blue eyes answered him before the first man can gloat, "Siegfried, you know Freed always goes too far, bordering psychotic. This would work, but it is far from the best solution."

"Jeanne, Jeanne," Siegfried sighed. "I'm simply sick and tired of our predictable work. It's bound to fail one day, when we get around to fighting opponents who know our moves. How about something different for a change?"

Sylvia slapped the table, her eyes nearly alight, "And you agree with _**that**_ vile plan?"

Siegfried shrugged, "I don't have a problem with that. He can do what he wants, and I'll just back him up. You guys are still free to do _your_ part."

Sylvia gave a growl as her face showed clear disgust and turned away from the table, sending a fist into the wall out of frustration.

"Stop that and stay."

His voice now cutting in, firm and demanding, everyone quieted and faced him.

Freed sat back, now interested. "Ohhh, Pretty Boy has a plan?"

He was far from the leader of the group, where in fact nobody is, but they always listened to his voice and input. He was glad for that.

He scowled as gleaned over the map, putting together the words in his mind.

"Siegfried is right, Sylvia," he finally spoke up. "Jeanne's plan and your plans always work out-"

"I'm not looking for compliments, Ethan," Sylvia cut in, however, she seemed drastically mollified.

Ethan continued, "They picked us because we are the selected best they got. We can't rely on our same plan forever. _Especially_ when the objectives are different. Granted, it is possible to have three of us pull a diversion while the last two flanks on every mission we have, but what if we lose the element of surprise? What if we fight against smarter enemies? What if the diversion can't hold up forever?

"We need to think of different plans. We need to start now, when our enemies aren't difficult. I can guarantee that it won't work when we face higher-classed Devils and rouge Exorcists."

Sylvia frowned while Jeanne nodded. "You have a better plan then?"

"We still have a week to complete this. I hear these guys are recruiting."

Siegfried grabbed a chair nearby and sat down, his expression and posture indicating interest, "I suspect you want some of us to be part of the cult?"

"Exactly," Ethan replied. "Sieg and Jeanne, you two can fit in well."

Jeanne nodded compliance, "Not a bad choice."

Freed gave a sigh of disappointment, "How about me, Pretty Boy?"

"With the exception of a battle-hungry cult that wants to fuck anything they see," Ethan frowned, "I doubt you will be able to join any cult unless you can fix your tongue and penchant for violence."

"That sounds good to me," Freed shrugged, "Why don't we find one then?"

Despite himself, Ethan smiled. It took a large amount of willpower to refrain from laughing, as he saw Sylvia's obvious disapproval at the grin.

Siegfried rubbed his chin, "How about you, Ethan? These are intellects and you will fit in just as well as I."

Ethan gave an empty smile, "But I'm not as friendly as you. You can draw away suspicion. I will be attracting it, on the other hand."

"I see. I won't argue." Siegfried leaned back. "Small talk won't be a problem for me."

Ethan looked at Sylvia, who was quiet the entire exchange, "You don't have objections?"

"A better plan than Freed's that's for sure," she muttered.

"Hey," Freed protested, "Gimme some credit. I originally wanted to just murder everyone there and then fuck their corpses. Took me a long time to think of my second plan."

Sylvia's expression didn't change, but she refused to reply to his statement aloud. He heard her mutter just under her breath, "It can't take that much effort thinking between necrophilia then rape."

Jeanne stood, "So it's settled? Then what will you and the other two do, Ethan?"

He tapped on the marked building, "Act as if you need to use the restroom during the night. Every night, even if you used it earlier that evening. Make it known, so they let you go to the restroom. By the last day of the week, the three of us will be waiting by a door. You can pick which would be best."

"And how will I, or Sieg-kun signal you?" Jeanne inquired.

Ethan shook his head, "No. Only you. Sieg should play the loyalist up until the fighting starts. Once we all begin invading, only then you, Sieg, turn on them."

He faced Siegfried as he finished his sentence. The man nodded once before a thought entered his head, "What if she gets caught? Do I help?"

"Surely. We don't need to have someone killing from behind, but it would certainly split their forces," Ethan answered then returned to Jeanne's question when he looked at her. "If you find a door that leads inside, then switch on and off the lights for a short bit. I'll be watching the base."

Jeanne nodded, "I'll do that. Also note I'll be looking for windows and other places too, maybe an area from the second floor would be less guarded than the bottom floor."

Ethan paused then added, "Good thinking. If we can't access the places you find, nor find a door, then we'll break in using the front entrance."

Jeanne grinned, "Better not. I don't want to waste time searching every inch of the place if you won't use my help anyway."

Ethan smiled and drew a strike against the hand-drawn map where the building stood. "These guys are dead."

"One concern," Freed said before Ethan stood. "Don't assume they will let Pretty Girl walk around unguarded."

It was the common bit of intelligence shown by Freed. That man may be borderline insane and act dumb, but he was put into the group for a reason. "If that's the case, Jeanne, then don't worry about finding a breaching point. The three of us will break in ourselves, you and Siegfried kill from behind."

She nodded assent. "Dismissed?"

"Nothing to say."

"Sure."

"Aight."

Ethan nodded, "Go ahead, I might not sleep tonight anyways. I'd like to check out if there are other places the cult may be stationed in if their HQ is invaded."

Sylvia was nearly at the door when she turned around, "If that's the case, I'll join you."

Freed was a moment too slow, as he was actually the most common volunteer when Ethan offered to work solo.

In fact, the two knew each other for a good amount of time before they were selected for the team, their squads having collaborated on various missions while they still worked as basic exorcists.

The man backed out of the room with the other two exorcists as Ethan nodded to Sylvia.

The two split paths with the three exorcists, bidding their comrades a good night before entering the cool, summer night for a search that may or may not be fruitful.

"Usually Freed joins me, Sylvia. Why did you volunteer?"

The girl sighed as she glanced at her split knuckles, which she had hid during the remainder of the discussion. She had wrapped the hem of her dress around the wound to stem the bleeding and she now removed the fabric from her hand.

"I didn't think I could sleep while still annoyed; thought being outside with fresh air and another task would calm me down," she replied. Ethan nodded curtly and she added, "Besides, you are the only one not to piss me off."

"Really, now?" Ethan raised an eyebrow. They walked around their building and found the ladder leading onto the rooftop. He firmly set his foot on the bottom rung and climbed to the top, waiting for Sylvia to join him before getting his answer.

"Jeanne always teases me that I like you, which gets on my nerves sometimes-"

"I'll assume you don't, by your statement," Ethan interrupted. She didn't acknowledge nor deny it, but she did pause when he said it.

"-Siegfried just doesn't seem to care about anything. Much like Freed, he just wants to fight. Any plan that lets him fight more people makes him happy."

Ethan shrugged. Being among the best exorcist gave a lot of inferiors, and very few challenges. It would make sense for someone like Siegfried to want to find a person to match his abilities.

"And Freed?" Ethan asked, although he can already guess her answer.

"I don't want to talk about him," Sylvia shot back and jumped across the gap down to the second building.

That wasn't the exact answer he expected, Ethan thought to himself as he followed her down. She waited until he landed and began moving to walk alongside him.

"Trust me when I say you can count on him when it matters. Freed is a smart, reliable teammate; don't underestimate him."

Sylvia frowned, "I'm not, Ethan. I just don't like how he views women."

"Understandable," Ethan replied. "At least you're on his team."

She shook her head solemnly, "That won't protect me everytime. He has approached me before with intentions. I fought him off once, but only because I caught him off guard."

"And you didn't see fit to report to anyone?" Ethan asked, now concerned. Sylvia looked away. "Don't think you can handle everything alone."

She looked back at him and stared for a moment before nodding and faced forward, "I'll keep that in mind."

"Here should be a good spot to walk the streets," Ethan stated as he moved towards the edge. Sylvia pulled him back, "Yes?"

"There," she pointed as she got down on a knee. "Those look like the head markings of the cult we're looking for, right?"

Ethan observed, seeing the particular way the hair is cut. "It is. This is quite deep into the city, wonder why they are here."

He watched them shuffle around a while, refusing to move away from the building they stayed positioned at, before he realized they were standing guard.

"Ethan? Is it me or is that a base?"

"No. It's too far in the city and this building is residential. I doubt they will base up here." That was when half a dozen cult members exited the building carrying body bags, just as a vehicle dark as night pulled up.

"They've taken more people," Sylvia murmured.

"I see that," Ethan replied as they loaded the unmoving containers into the back of the Range Rover. Sylvia abruptly stood, but Ethan held her back.

"We need to sav-"

"No point. They are dead."

"Ethan!" Sylvia protested quietly. "We don't know that!"

"Body bags, Sylvia. _Body bags_. We know the cult can take people alive, but we know the sacrifices are drugged, hooded, and bound. These are in air-tight bags. The occupants will suffocate even if they're alive."

She gritted her teeth, her frustration evident. Sylvia persisted, although half-heartedly. "It can be for being discrete. They don't need to drive long."

"If we are going to catch up and infiltrate the base now, we might as well go back and wake up the others."

Sylvia turned away, silent as the engine revved to life. The headlights turned on before the vehicle drove off, "Let's see if we can find where it's going. I won't do anything reckless. Promise."

"Better."

They traveled in silence, now dropping down onto the sidewalk to hurry along quicker. If the cultists were heading for a location in the city, there was no chance of finding it. The city was a maze and a vehicle was far faster than any human, even if the driver makes multiple turns.

However, the two if them had a better chance if the cultists wanted to head towards their headquarters. There was only a single road leading out towards the woods, and people on foot can cut along the trees.

If Ethan can find the correct path, the two of them just might arrive at a junction to the cultist base ahead of the Rover.

They found it soon enough, parked and abandoned northwest from the HQ they were aiming to destroy within the next week.

It wasn't abandoned peacefully, however. They found a cultist dead and splayed out on the forest floor, the dirt soaking all blood drained from a large wound.

All body bags were opened, half of them torn from the inside, as if the occupants broke free. Nobody had stayed around the area and Ethan hadn't expected anyone to. From the looks if it, the cultists had ran towards their home, pursued by whatever was inside the bags.

Ethan doubted that the cultists would stay any longer in this city.

Sylvia stood silently for a minute before asking, "You still want to wait?"

Ethan touched his side softly, feeling the scabbards that hung invisible to everyone.

"Fine."

Sylvia smiled and clenched her fists. Ethan knew she was channeling mana into her limbs and allowing it to flow, let her hand get used to the feel.

It became a ritual, as when she first fought without any warm up, her entire hand was shattered and took advanced processes from the church to give her two months to heal.

Lucky for him, Ethan didn't fight the way Sylvia did. He simply inherited two weapons his ancestor used, both extremely powerful weapons, with their own abilities, incapable of being destroyed. Coupled with the two scabbards the church created for his swords, he could use either weapon without his enemies ever knowing which ones he used.

Not that they would ever find out what the swords did anyway. Nobody walked away alive.

Ethan pressed the scabbards to his sides as he ran, Sylvia close behind his heels, heading southeast towards the HQ.

Something was bothering him as he ran, and he found out soon after he felt Sylvia tackle him down without warning.

The Rover that was left abandoned flew over where he stood, cartwheeling over Sylvia's back and not more than a meter from his face.

They rolled upwards and stood back to back. Ethan grabbed Sylvia's arm when he finally saw slow movement. He walked forwards as a figure stalked towards them, eyes tightening as it saw them both.

Sylvia was beside him as she whispered, "What the hell is that?"

He counted on Sylvia to have checked his back when he warned her, giving him time to take note of its appearance.

The creature was tall, even when it was slouched over, how it moved around in the forest confounded him. Well over two meters, with its head no more than two inches above the ground, it stomped forward ever so slowly, surprisingly balanced.

The thing breathed heavily, its breath causing Sylvia's skirt to flutter slightly, even when they were nearly five meters away. Mouth agape, its the scent streamed out, smelling of stomach acid and blood. It was disgusting to inhale, forcing Ethan to breath ever so slightly from his mouth.

Its nose was slightly torn off, and its single, cloudy red eye blinked occasionally, the other eye, and half its head, cut clean off. Its wound bothered Ethan, he swore he remembered the wound and the markings on its face from someone.

Seeing its pencil-thin arms, Ethan immediately whipped around, searching for a second, white figure bulkier than this creature when he heard a snap and tearing of a tree.

The thing had wrapped its giant hands around the trunk of a fucking tree in the forest and tore the thing free from the stump. It didn't rip it up from the tree's roots, the creature seemed to know the exertion it would take to do such a feat and opted to rip a tree from its base.

Faster than he expected, and _**steadier**_ than he thought, it pawed forward, swiping at the two exorcists.

He heard the wind sliced through from the multiple branches as he leaped back, the strength was astounding. The weaker of the branches snapped as the tree flew past him and more of the tree fell apart when the club collided into another tree.

In frustration, the creature tossed the remains of the trunk aside and simply tore up a second tree.

"Holy shit," Ethan muttered to himself as he ran forward, drawing his first sword. It saw him running at it and swatted at him with its free hand.

Before it connected, the hand exploded into shards of bone, tissue, and meat. Sylvia let out a small breath and bounded forward.

Even after losing a hand, Ethan was amazed it made an effort to attack with the stump remaining, he might even commend the thing for making an effort.

He immediately cut at the remaining hand, but the thing reacted quickly, retracting its hand from reach and smacked the tree it was breaking towards Ethan.

Ethan dashed back and the hand slapped down in front if the tree.

So it was expecting him to move ahead. Smart.

He gave the praise no more thought and leapt up, just as Sylvia kicked in its chest. The creature made no sound, even though the wound sounded painful.

Bones crunched and organs squelched, but the thing paid no mind, catching Sylvia off guard.

Its eye focused on Ethan, but Sylvia gave it another try, kicking at its jaw and knocking it off the hinges of the skull. It turned to her, the stalactites of teeth dropping as it dropped its head onto her.

She ran forward as Ethan leaped from the trunk of the tree. Its teeth sunk into the floor but it dragged its head back nonetheless as its eye turned to Ethan while the hand twitched closer.

He forced himself to keep an eye forward, only turning around at the last moment to lop off the hand just as it clenched and sheathed his sword while the hand hopped and writhed from where it was severed.

Ethan drew again and didn't aim to cut, only to jab into the neck of the monster as it raised its head.

The effect was instantaneous from this sword, the wound burst open with an unnamed substance and from that location, the thing dying as the flesh and skin withered away. Within seconds, the bones were the only thing left of the thing.

Sylvia kicked out the teeth from the skull and walked out with a look of worry, "I'm going to question what the hell that thing is again real soon."

Ethan frowned. It was the first time he's seen a creature of that...caliber.

It wasn't a devil, hell no. Possibly a stray devil, but he knew this wasn't a Stray. It had no magical powers of any sort and it wasn't aiming to consume. It was aiming to kill.

"Ethan." He turned to the source of the voice and saw Siegfried walking up to him, Freed and Jeanne just behind his heels. "I knew you guys would be here."

"Not on purpose," Ethan grunted. Siegfried chuckled in amusement.

"I'm not trying to lecture you or anything, just thought you'd be here."

Ethan scowled, "But what brought you here?"

"Freed caught a glimpse of whatever thing you fought. He made sure to wake up Jeanne and I before heading towards that direction to kill it. Those shits are _tall,_ we saw that well after Freed went off on his suicide mission."

Ethan paused before asking, "You mean there's more than one?"

"Afraid so."

"Yo, Pretty Boy," Freed said, "I'm as surprised as you are and everyone here, but there's more. I feel it jittering my bones."

Jeanne frowned, "You don't happen to know where it is, do you?"

"What do I look like to ya?" Freed shot back, "Some kind of story writer who gave _**me**_ all the powers in the universe? Course not ya cunt! I know there's more left and those things are chomping away at the cultists still twitching!"

"Let's just get to the cultists base then," Jeanne said in return, "We'll probably find it from there."

Freed tapped his chin, "Nah, I'll bet we'll find it there."

He was correct. Unsurprisingly, it was the laeger size as the one Ethan fought, no reason for it to be smaller. Unlike the first he fought, this had the body proportions matching its height.

Surprisingly though, it was chomping away not at a cultist but another of its kind. Siegfried stated on the way they killed two. Ethan killed one, and with one of the creatures torn apart on the ground not too far away from this remaining creature, it accounts for six total.

This last one wasn't rail-thin like the one he found, it had the body of a human bodybuilder. Profound breasts and visible abdomen muscles. Freed froze, and Ethan had to look to make sure it wasn't of shock.

He stood there, eyes narrowed as if grasping at a memory, "Something's not right."

"You're stating the obvious," Sylvia replied as she watched it gnaw on the calf of its brethren.

"No cunt," Freed shot back, "I feel like I saw this shithead before, it's just on the tip of my dick. Besides, these things are smarter than Strays. Surely it already noticed us, yet this thing is still dumb as a sack of shit. If we attack, fight carefully."

Ethan unsheathed a sword, nodding, "I'll take your word for it. You guys stay back for now."

Jeanne looked worried, "You don't want backup?"

"Your Blade Blacksmith can help," Ethan smiled. He got ready to move when Freed laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Careful, mate."

"I will," Ethan replied.

"And Pretty Girl, aim for the joints. This thing looks like it has armor everywhere except on any joint. No point attacking its chest and skull. Fully armored."

Jeanne nodded gravely, "Got it."

Ethan ran low, but before he left earshot, he heard Freed say thoughtfully, "What a stud."

The statement disturbed him, as once again these things reminded Ethan of a time from before. Some time ago recent enough where names and memories are on the tip of his tongue, but not quite there.

In a flash, the final creature dropped the limb it was eating and slapped down on the floor. Ethan stepped back and jumped from between its fingers, barely managing to cut through the joint of the ring finger as it flew by.

He thought he won and rocketed off the forearm, landing next to Freed.

"Shit," the two of them exclaimed. For two different reasons.

Ethan saw the starburst of flesh appear from the wound, but the creature moved fast, faster than any reaction from seeing the wound and ripped off its hand.

The hand withered as it flew at the five exorcists, leaving finger bones as projectiles. The five leapt away, Freed and Ethan separated from the other three.

The thing gave a wide grin, turning towards Ethan and Freed. Both of them cursed as its smile grew even wider as it left the ground to scuttle towards them.

Freed activated his Holy Saber as Ethan kept his sword up. The two arms cracked and snapped as they split apart. The stump of the left arm hardened to points while the other arm, with a hand, broke into two scythes and three sword arms.

"What the fuck?" Ethan asked while Freed growled.

"We have Spiderman's rival over here." After the statement, Ethan saw recognition fill his face. "This thing is that guy. I Pop Anuses or something?"

Ethan landed. "What?"

"That fucking cult leader."

"Apophis?" he asked, his forehead deeply folded.

"Yeah, him. The stud, fucker rose from hell."

"Can't believe you recognize him," Ethan muttered as it divided its attention between Siegfried, who now had his four extra arms, Sylvia, who had just blown off one of Apophis's feet, and Jeanne, who was darting among Apophis's limbs, finding a joint to stab.

It now came to him. The first creature that he fought with Sylvia was from another mission Freed and he worked on. Apophis was the leader of the Immortal Cult, that creature was one of the enforcers of the Silent Cult, all of the members cutting all vocal cords, as they avoided making any noise at all to appease their quiet deity.

"Took me a while," Freed answered and now kept silent, his part was done in his eyes. Ethan ran with him until Freed dodged the first lanced bone. He hopped up onto the second while Ethan stayed down, slicing and stabbing at multiple areas, letting Apophis pay him no mind as he acted oblivious of its armor.

Once within leap distance, Ethan jumped and cut the inside of the elbow at the same time as Freed.

A sworded limb flew at them. Freed jumped off, but Ethan timed his jump, landing at the sword limb and cutting just as Apophis cut off his first two limbs.

He had to grip tightly onto the wrist, as Apophis generated enough force to snap off the armor and save himself. Taking the chance, Ethan stabbed down on the wrist and pulled away, falling onto the ground.

Apophis let out a snarl as it chopped off its third limb. Ethan twisted midair and sheathed his sword, but timing his landing was unnecessary, Jeanne ran under him and caught him, "Gotcha, Han-kun~"

"That was my job," Freed complained as he ran up, flicking his Holy Sword to the side. Ethan got off Jeanne's arms and spectated.

Sylvia grabbed onto a finger, but it was obvious she was struggling to keep her mana continuously provide a layer of protection from being bisected at the waist.

Siegfried was busy fighting against two of the remaining three fingers, carefully and accurately parrying each and every strike thrown at him.

"Jeanne," Ethan said, but he didn't have to explain, the woman already knew what he was going to ask her to do. With a gesture and a few flicks of her wrists, sword began exploding from the ground and began rocketing towards Apophis.

A flick of its finger sent Siegfried stumbling back, giving it an opportunity to swat at the weapons with its armored limbs.

It soon realized that Sylvia had reached out while maintaining her grip on its finger, catching one sword. She rotated her hips and stabbed.

Once inflicting the wound, she let go and managed to catch herself on another finger. Ethan smiled as Apophis howled in frustration, stopping just in front of the stump of the foot.

It was losing all its limbs, one by one, but he wanted it dead now. As he was lost in thought, he saw a shadow cast over his head.

It was the foot, coming to kick at him. He barely dodged it, shutting his eyes as the dirt and eind kicked up violently.

Grabbing onto a strand of hair on the calf, he found his way behind it, giving temporary protection against the right leg.

Ethan felt the leg lift and squited his eyes open, ready to react according to what Apophis planned to do to kill him, except he was caught off guard when he realized it planned to run away.

He let go and plopped onto the grass. Sylvia ran up to him and got onto a knee, "Do we chase it?"

Ethan looked after Apophis unsteadily fleeing the five exorcists, "No. Not this one. It's crippled beyond belief. Granted it won't die of its wounds, but I'm sure at this point we can tell the other exorcists to watch out for him."

"You sure?" Siegfried asked as he narrowed his eyes when Apophis dipped into the forest, now crawling away, pushing aside trees in the effort. "I don't like letting it go."

"North leads to no civilization, and we can send a message to the all places exorcists are stationed. Have faith in them."

Freed scowled, uncertain of the decision, but reluctantly nodded, "Alright then."

Ethan got up and strolled over to the remains of the cultist base, "We don't know the name of the cult, do we?"

Jeanne frowned as the two males shrugged. Sykvia shook her head. "Wonder if the church knows."

They examined the floor, looking for a trapdoor leading to a basement of some sort, there was nothing left aboveground. Siegfried found what they were looking for, calling them to him after he pulled up the door.

They took the stone stairs down, guided by the light of Freed's holy sword once he took the lead. A short travel brought them into a large room filled with markings. A flick of a switch nearby flooded the room with light.

Red pentagrams and candles laid all iver the place and hospital stretchers were strewn all over the place. There was no modern technology anywhere in here, only paper, pen, blood, containers, and cages.

"Summoning room, then?" Siegfried asked as he crossed his arms. Sylvia, Freed, and Jeanne split away as they each headed for separate doorways to explore. Ethan nodded once curtly. "Doesn't seem as if these guys were experimenting though."

"No. It doesn't," he replied softly.

"And no lab equipment anywhere from the wreckage."

He had to consider what he remembered while exploring, "None."

His mind prickled at what Siegfried hinted at. Sylvia returned, grabbing his arm. Her expression was anxious, her mouth turned downwards, "Ethan. I thought this cult was the ones that created those things."

"Uh-huh?"

"Come upstairs and look." Siegfried walked away, looking to examine the basement mire. Ethan followed Sylvia upwards as she ran up the steps. "Take a look at the bodies here."

Ethan examined closely now, and saw that each of the cultists at this base was far different than the ones at the Rover. There were no tatoos nor markings of that sort. Rather, their cheeks were sunken and their lips pulled back. Not as if they were snarling, rather because their skin were stretched.

Lifting a sleeve, it became apparent the man was malnourished. The skin stretched tightly over the bone, the shape clearly visible.

"Where are the tattoos? If you look, all these guys are starving, unhealthy, and their heads are clean."

It clicked. "Different cults."

"Right!" Sylvia exclaimed. "It really botgered me, since if _these_ guys created the...can we call them something?"

"Ganesha?"

Sylvia's eyebriws knit together, "Is that a refer-...Never mind. Ganeshas, those things were sent out by anither cult. To attack this, and that other one."

Ethan nodded, "Hold onto that thought."

He brought up a cellphone and powered it on. Joining the full moon, the phone provided a source light as the screen shined brightly. The tone rang twice.

 _[This is the Consultation of the Trinity's Orthodox Nebula, how may I help you?]_

"Inform Valper we found a few things of interest, please."

 _[I'm sorry, we have nobody registered in our system by that name, are you certain you have the correct number?]_

Ethan rolled his eyes, "This is Helios Three. He is expecting results from Team Helios in Tunguska."

He heard silence for a second, before the woman cane back on, assuring him Valper will be there by morning, and theur services were no longer needed. "Excellent."

The team gathered together another time. After a short discussion, Jeanne and Siegfried were to return to the safehouse and greet Valper before shoing him his way to the Hunger Cult's base.

Sylvia, Ethan, and Freed took shifts in the meantime. Nothing of interest happened in those hours, but Ethan took note if everything he could, the weapons projects, the notes on a parasute which would sit in its hosts stomach and consume any food their hosts eat, slowly starving their host.

At the noise of a commotion, Ethan looked up from the notes and left the chamber. Sylvia was arguing with Valper, insisting Team Helios stay and guard him. Valper calmly told her otherwise.

"You job here is done, Helios Four. You may leave."

"I get that," she answered, "But there are still threats out here in Tunguska. You can't stay alone."

"Who said I am alone?" Sylvia quieted and gritted her teeth.

"Bodyguards?"

"Of course, moron," Valper said with a smile, "Far better than the five of you. They follow orders to the letter and are much stronger than you five."

Ethan held Sylvia's shoulder, "I'll leave you and the exorcists to handle the remaining Ganesha then."

"Hmm...so that's what you call it," Valper mused, "Interesting name, I can use that."

He nidded but Valper wasn't done, "And next time, kill it when you can. My team already wasted time killing it before coming here."

Ethan kept his expression neutral, so it wasn't because he was one of the lazy upper leaders then. However, that led to another question, "What's your purpose for staying so far north in an unpopulated area?"

Valper's smile grew wider. "Are you really in a position to ask that question?"

It wasn't Valper who asked, however. Ethan turned around slowly, cocking his head. The newcomer was a tower of a man, nearly seven feet tall, well dressed in a sense of the chuch.

His skin was pale, white as a Ganesha, and perhaps even the color of a Rake. His eyes were open, but slitted, the sockets in straight, sharp lines. His pupils and scalera were pure red, color of fresh blood. His smile was menacing, teeth in a canine grin.

He held an arrogance, cockiness, but his power was apparent. Ethan didn't know if it was intentional or not, but he would find out.

"I thinknitnwould suffice for him to answer."

"Valper doesn't need digs like you questioning him," the man said slowly. "You may leave now."

The man enunciated the words as if speaking to a foreigner or child, while delivering a presence of menace, while all around Team Helios, they felt the unseen exorcists release killing intent.

So the man was arrogant. Although he acted like he worked for Valper, his view of the man showed he could care less of him. Valper was nothing but a tool for means untold.

Ethan glared longer, unfazed by the menace this newcomer gave out. He was close enough to kill the man with a single slice of his sword if the man became hostile. Eventually, he nodded difference, "Okay, we will go."

Without looking back, he walked away from the ruined site and towards the safehouse. Freed caught up to Ethan along the way, "Douchebag back there didn't pay any mind to us once we left, basically ordered Valper to start looking for something."

"I thought so," Ethan answered emotionlessly. There was no reason to dwell much on that, there was nothing he could learn about what is happening.

"Just thought I'd let you know." Freed said in defense, assuming Ethan knew and was annoyed.

"He's something else," Ethan spoke up, "I will find out once I find our boss."

"Curie would know?" Sylvia asked. Ethan smiled then chuckled as he shook his head, the answer too obvious.

"Don't worry, when I find out, I'll make sure he won't be the same."

"Count me in too, if you wanna cut his balls, the faggot pisses me off. Only I can talk to you that way," Freed added.

* * *

" **These details are extremely important. We need to know if you are fit to stay in the long term."**

 _"Why?"_

" **We fight the unknowns, people have gone insane. Some from the projects, others who haven't had a chance to share to the world just what they see. Do you understand?"**

"I do. How about the others?"

" **Yes, we'll be questioning the others too. You may be the first and the one they unintentionally turn to, but they are not** _ **you**_ **."**

" **Now...Let's begin, shall we?"**


	2. The Foundation

**First things first, as you may not read all of the entire bottom portion(you're probably only here for the story). If you wish to contact me for beta-reading and sneak peeks of the story progress or just contact in general with my unreliable releases, you can reach me on Discord, I'm heavily active there when I'm not crying in a corner.**

 **You can send a message and a friend request to Buue#2238 saying, "You do not recognize the bodies in the water." Once I see that, I will immediately know you've come from this story ;)**

 **In case you cannot send me a DM(which would be strange since I have DMs open to everyone) enter the server under the invite link: 39WnPus**

 **Just mention the username Lyyneheym with the same phrase "You do not recognize the bodies in the water." and you have reached me! Add me as a friend and then just DM me for updates if you want to know if I've made some progress or how much progress I've made!**

* * *

 **Author's notes about real life and stuff for this story at the end of this chapter. As I said, I'm sure you guys are here more for the story, so I'll be leaving information and acknowledgements for last.**

 **I own nothing and I say _nothing_ in the DxD verse and same for the SCP Foundation. **

**Technically my original creations are Ethan Sakamoto and the Ganeshas, but even the latter I'm sure _someone_ out there has already envisioned six to nine feet tall pale fuckers with arms and legs the size of telephone poles and feet and hands the size of sedans in a 2x2x2 formation. The Ganeshas aren't original content. I just made them different because they are reincarnated entities of the person who was previously dead. Nothing special.**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter and let us begin now. I've talked enough :)**

* * *

" **How used are you to anomalous objects, entities, and occurrences? Note that this does not apply to any supernatural beings such as Fallen Angels, Devils, gods, Angels,** _ **youkai**_ **, and any other mythical beings."**

" _None at all. Not that I am aware of."_

" **It should be that way, but that will change very soon. Considering you are a member of the Foundation, of course. Now, how uncomfortable are you with the idea of seeing these anomalies?"**

" _...I guess it won't bother me."_

" **I will need a better answer than that. You will be questioning reality and your sanity in many cases while working with us, I want** _ **certainty**_ **, son."**

" _It won't bother me at all."_

" **Perfect, then let's continue."**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

"That's it?" Ethan scowled when he looked down at the leaf of paper, then back up at the tall woman who appeared to be in her twenties.

Despite her appearance, he knew she was far older, and a cautious conversation with the Institution had him aware they also suspect she was not who she claims to be. She states she was simply a human with a strong connection with magic, but her abilities were far more than a human can learn in multiple lifetimes.

The Vatican sent a few messages, at the request of the Sigurd Institution, to Heaven, contacting angels about Maidame Curie, and while they stated she was not one of them, she is a reliable ally, going back to the Great Faction War.

With so little information on her while she knew so much about the factions, the Institution reluctantly accepted her into the ranks, keeping her on a level with moderate access to records. She didn't seem to mind, and Ethan suspected it was because she already knew the information they have.

He did joke about it once, and she only gave a wry grin. It sent a shiver down his spine that she knew about everything up-to-date. It was as if she founded or influenced the Institution's founding.

"Child, you know that you aren't property of this Institution, just like Sylvia, Jeanne, and I," Curie responded as she thumbed through another page in her novel, not looking at him. "You should know the consequences if they find out you have more classified information than you let on."

He understood her implications. If Valper caught wind Ethan knows about Kokabiel and everything the Fallen has done in the past, he would be disposed of. Ethan held less value than Kokabiel in the grand scheme of things in Valper's eyes.

But it still annoyed him that Ethan only got the name and race of the Fallen Angel.

"Curie, just why did you pick the Sigurd Institution? We both know how immoral they are. I have no choice but to stay, you, on the other hand, specifically picked this Institution to work with."

Curie didn't answer for a while, seemingly pondering about the way she would respond. She lowered the book in her hands and stared right at him, "You five will work temporarily together, you know?"

 _What the hell was_ _ **that**_ _supposed to answer?_

The two didn't speak more, and Ethan reluctantly accepted the answer, shaking his head before getting up from the armchair and walking from the living room of Curie's home to his room upstairs.

"When you all go your separate paths, you guys need a supervisor," Curie said before he left earshot. Then he understood her message, only partly.

Whether it was due to conflicts, or the disbanding of the Sigurd Institution, Valper's death, or any other circumstance, they five won't stay as a team forever. Curie intended to watch the backs of the group, one side more specifically than the other, probably.

It didn't explain the long-term benefits of her doing so, however. None at all. Neither would it explain why she wants to be their 'parental figure.'

He supposed it would stay that way for a while. If she didn't explain to the Archangels anything, what did he expect to hear as a human?

Ethan saw the lights to both the bathrooms on from the gap at the bottom and knocked on the door closest to his room, "Hey, it's Ethan. Tell me when you get out, okay?"

He heard a rustling of clothes and the door opened, Sylvia walking out in matching, pink sleepwear. She grinned, "Well, I'm out now."

He nodded acknowledgement and went inside his room, snatching up a change of clothes as she walked downstairs.

Shedding his clothes, he entered the shower and turned on the water.

Emancipation Cult. That's what he labeled it. Sounded better than Hunger Cult, actually.

New cults are discovered every day, and many were now left unnamed officially. Rather than a name from their theme, the Vatican labeled them as Cult followed by a number.

Although Team Helios only found them recently(and by accident, Sigurd Institution actually sent them to find Immortal's Cult), the Emancipation cult seemed to have made a lot of progress and advancements that threaten civilians.

Especially the notes on a parasite that caused its host to essentially starve to death by consuming the food the host eats.

There were different versions, adjustments were made. Newer notes laid upon older notes.

But there was no sign of anything that related to the parasites other than the papers. No test tubes, no labs, or containers. Hell, there weren't any test subjects shriveled up. There was no possible way for the Emancipation Cult to clear away their work, nor would they be willing to trash months, even years of research.

Perhaps it was stolen by the Immortal's Cult?

Not to mention Valper shooed Helios away once he arrived. Essentially occupied their entire safehouse in the city near Tunguska River and forced them to return home. Didn't even want their assistance for recovering the missing projects.

Valper didn't want them snooping around with or without him, that was for sure. It was as if he wanted the research for himself. The man was walking a thin line, and sooner, rather than later, he would be excommunicated, maybe executed.

All it would require was a little birdie to chirp.

He heard a knock on the door, "Yo! You done there? My dick needs some washing."

The mocking tone and the crude wording was none other than Freed. Ethan stopped the water and cleared the soap from the tub before exiting and drying himself. Pulling on the pajamas, he opened the door and let Freed in, "All yours, bud."

"Thanks, partner," Freed answered with the stereotypical Southern accent.

It was possible Valper Galilei wanted to collect the Cultists' research and use them for himself. Whenever Team Helios completed and collected all the data they could find, it vanished, presumably to Valper.

The man was ambitious, Ethan knew from Curie that Freed and Siegfried were both results from Valper, among others, one man being Yuuto Kiba.

Although the latter was considered a failed project, he was by no means a pushover. Last Curie heard, Kiba now worked under a devil named Rias Gremory, younger sister to the current leader of the Underworld, Sirzechs Lucifer.

Ethan wouldn't be surprised, actually, if Valper was making an even more unethical and unorthodox project.

With all the Cultists information he had funneled to him, Valper might even have enough weapons to put himself as absolute leader of the Vatican.

Not to mention that Fallen Angel, Kokabiel, with his unknown role.

Sylvia came up the stairs unannounced, wide-eyed. "Ethan, you might want to come down here."

Siegfried left the bathroom, eyebrow raised as he straightened his uniform. "You look concerned."

Sylvia beckoned him to follow Ethan, and went to fetch Jeanne. Ethan knocked on the remaining bathroom door and called for Freed to come downstairs when he finished his shower.

He was greeted with a discomforting site. Curie was confronting a few dozen men, crowding the room inside and well more than a dozen occupying the yard outside.

They were dressed in various fashion, some wore a _Men in Black_ appearance, others had a detective look with an Oxford shirt some with and some without a tie with long trench coats over their shirts, and even more men were heavily armored in SWAT gear, although the weaponry seemed much more foreign.

"I won't deny that these four individuals, and a fifth that should come down soon," Curie was saying, "were at Tunguska River yesterday night, but they would not be going anywhere."

"Ma'am," one of the coats warned, "This is business that is deemed within our jurisdiction. We only need to ask questions."

Curie was reluctant and the SWATs sensed her tension, slowly raising their weapons, but a suit man raised his hand and their weapons lowered. "Ma'am?"

Curie nodded, "I will allow it, but they will not be harmed."

"We assure they won't even feel the slightest bit threatened," he responded. Freed came down the stairs shortly after he finished his sentence. Even with the exorcist's bravado, he knew it would be smart to remain silent with this group.

"Will each of you follow us to the vehicles, we would like to question you separately and individually."

Curie frowned but made no complaint. Ethan didn't like it either, their phrasing of 'question' sounded suspiciously close to interrogation, or worse.

Nonetheless, the five of them followed the paramilitary members. As Ethan looked around, he noticed all of the men around the neighborhood. Possibly a hundred or more men occupying the streets, blocking driveways and intersections, watching doors and assuring residents there was nothing to be afraid of.

Five detectives led them to different vehicles, and Ethan joined the man who spoke mainly to Curie. They sat down in the spacey room of the van, Ethan in one bench, the coat in another, while the driver sat patiently with one SWAT in the backseat while a second SWAT stood stationary, shotgun in his gloved hands.

"You were in Tunguska River, correct?" The detective began.

"Yes."

"For what purpose?"

"We were sent to dismantle the Emancipation Cult."

The detective scribbled a note on a legal pad and nodded affirmation. "Emancipation Cult? Strange, we haven't heard of that."

The way the detective stated made him seem arrogant, bold. But looking at the way these men worked, Ethan knew they should be omniscent, these men tracked Team Helios from the Tunguska River all the way out to Seattle.

They reached far, _very_ far. "We call them cults," Ethan picked his words carefully, trying to explain in a way that allowed this agent to pinpoint who they found, "But I guess it could be a group you actually knew. These-"

"Stop," the detective cut in, "You say cults, why that term? From your previous works, these people aren't praying to a specific being."

"No," Ethan shook his head, "They don't. But each group we dismantle all find a unique to harm humanity. This Emancipation Cult was working on a...parasite. I think it's a proper name to call it. They are creating a parasite to spread to humans just for the purpose of starving them."

The detective turned to the SWAT and they shared an unspoken exchange. "I see. I might be aware of that."

"What do you mean by might?" Ethan questioned. The detective didn't respond. "There was another thing you might know of. I named them Ganesha, but these are creatures created from corpses, I don't know what the cult did to bring them back to life."

"Another cult," the detective wrote down, "I think at this point you don't need to call them cults."

"I don't?" Ethan uttered in confusion.

"The Chaos Insurgency frequently does this type of work, using class D personnel for their experiments. You simply ran into a few groups."

"I don't follow," Ethan said.

"I don't expect you to," the detective replied as he scrawled a quick note. "I think I have a good idea of what you have seen yesterday, no more information is needed. I'd like to focus on the cults you have taken down before, though."

Ethan reluctantly answered the detective, telling the man what he knew about the previous cults. Luckily, he got some information from the man's quick answers. Some of the cults were linked to the named Chaos Insurgency, others were independent groups that simply got their hands on what the detective called, "anomalies."

Unfortunately, the detective had easily dodged any questions Ethan asked about these anomalies and never once made a transition awkward, it was as if he knew what to say to drop the questions asked and have Ethan answer the detective's own questions.

When he was done, the detective nodded to the SWAT, who raised the shotgun. Ethan tensed and quickly laid a hand on the bench, only to inhale as the officer shifted the gun while opening the doors at the same time.

The detective noticed the reaction and seemed interested, "May I ask, are you working with the Vatican?"

This caught Ethan off guard, "Uh, yeah. Although we're technically under command of Valper Galilei."

No point in lying. Besides, he didn't like Valper much anyway, Ethan could care less if he got to be moved to a better leader.

The detective nodded, "Nice to know. Team Helios?"

"Yes."

The detective elaborated no further and hopped out the van after the officer. He joined the other four detectives who were speaking amongst themselves. As Ethan walked forward, the SWAT held out a hand.

"Stay until told otherwise."

"Yessir," Ethan didn't know why he was being compliant with this person specifically. He tolerated being inferior to the detective, but only because that man was blatantly more powerful than Ethan.

Perhaps it was the same with this officer? He knew of real-life SWAT teams and while Ethan labeled these armored men as "SWATs", they were clearly on a completely different level.

They weren't even marked as law enforcement. "SWAT" was just the best way to procure a picture in his mind.

Sylvia walked towards Ethan, face filled with concern, but she only got within a meter of the officer when he stretched out a hand, "Ma'am, please stay where you are unless further instructed."

She glanced at Ethan who shook his head. Sylvia nodded solemnly and stepped back, frowning as she waited.

Soon the detective nodded to the officer, Ethan walked up to the detectives and Sylvia lined up with him.

Strangely, he was glad she turned to him for assistance and comfort, made him feel a special appreciation from her.

The detective that questioned Ethan was clearly the leader of the five. "Your cooperation with the Foundation is archived and appreciated. We will make note to consider that in the future when we collaborate again."

Ethan and Sylvia turned to each other, and the detective caught the shared look.

"Yes, but you five, along with other exorcists will be aware if, and only _if_ , we manage to find common ground with your superiors."

Siegfried scowled, "You mean you guys are working with the Sigurd Institution?"

The detective actually broke a smile from his stony face. "Not the Sigurd Institution, no. I meant the Vatican. But regardless, the Foundation will be taking precaution. Until we meet in the future, you will have no recollection of tonight, along with this particular neighborhood."

"What? How?" Sylvia exclaimed. She received no answer. The entire force began packing into their vehicles and clearing the barricades put up temporarily. The detectives and suits began filing away after vague reassurances of future cooperation.

Ethan and the four other exorcists shared looks to each other as the entire force left as quickly as they came.

They went to bed, sleeping through the entire morning. The five were listening closely for the sounds of vehicles, before fatigue overtook them, returning to complete a job they were given, but none came.

When they got up the next day, none of the five exorcists, nor did anyone in the neighborhood remember any of what took place early in the morning, just before dawn.

The Grade A amnesiac did its work properly and as expected. All normal residents remembered going to sleep and waking up slightly more tired than usual.

This also applied to Team Helios, they only vaguely remembered their operation in Tunguska before being dismissed by Valper and coming home, crashing into their rooms filled with nothing but exhaustion.

* * *

"According to field agents, the Vatican and its branches aren't too reliable." Murmurs of agreement ran through the other eleven people seated. "They don't entirely _fit_ with our methods. Now, I understand I made a hasty decision proposing collaboration with the church, but a closer look reveals how messily agreed upon this contract is."

"Agent Adam from Team Alpha seems confident with a few," the man in the fifth seat brought up. "He knows..."

Fifth looked down at the sheet of paper in front of him and scanned the names listed, "Team Helios, along with Duo, Luna, Kinetic, and Jettison are good team to consider for Rapid Response Teams."

The man sitting in the first seat brought his hands together to steeple his fingers, "Do you agree?"

Fifth nodded, his eyes dark and calculating, "These are resourceful, outside of the command of the generic church fodder. People we can truly consider for the Foundation. If we require Securing and not Destroying, I am sure they can learn to perform the task."

Seventh brought up a concern, "But we have a... _ah,_ wild card in Team Helios, and I believe two more total in the other teams if memory serves. I doubt we can rely on them to secure entities without destroying such entities or objects, we'll need to remove them from the list of on-duty agents."

"Then we'll need to be selective about the process..." Third stroked his chin, although the man wasn't speaking to anyone in particular, more to himself.

"We seem to share concerns that the exorcists will need a rigorous course in our vetting procedures, hands up for agreement?" All hands went up.

First nodded, "I will inform the Vatican once we adjourn. Onto the second issue, their supernatural entities. We know the Vatican fight Fallen Angels, Devils, _Stray_ Devils, Evil Dragons, to name a few mythological beings."

He ended the sentence, causing the room to fill with the hum of the overhead LED lights, "Should we throw our forces against these threats? Are they dangerous enough for such cause of concern? Of course, the Vatican is urging us to assist them, and we have enough training to actually suppress the supernatural. However, our forces could use concentration on securing entities."

Second tapped at the desk with his pen, "That is our objective, but withholding assets just so we can preserve ourselves while we use up all their assets when we see fit..."

He gave a scornful chuckle, "We won't be getting any allies from them. I doubt any of their allies will be as powerful as us, but the Vatican reaches all over the world, we can need them as eyes and ears if we want to mobilize two-, maybe even three-fold as present-day."

"Good things to consider, Two," First replied thoughtfully, his eyes on the other man's for a moment, showing just a hint of satisfaction. "However, I am not stating we give no assistance, I'm questioning if it would be worth our time on their requests?"

Second narrowed his eyes and shook his head, "Not all. Definitely not all. Is it possible to reserve our forces until they need to neutralize high-value targets? Such as Kadres or Evil Dragons?"

First nodded, "Of course, I will suggest that once I gain an opportunity. Anybody has objections?"

None.

"Then let's cast a vote, in favor of mobilizing troops for suppressing supernatural beings?"

The vote was eight to four, in favor or mobilizing troops at the request to immobilize or kill any(in their terms)Keter class supernatural entities for the Vatican, they were to provide supplemental or compliment training to exorcists otherwise.

Within the next hours, O5 Council had begun a video conference with the Vatican, beginning the official collaboration of organizations aimed at keeping the unnatural separate from the natural, keeping at bay the abnormal form ruining the normal.

* * *

Ethan woke up with a headache, feeling nausea as he sat up suddenly. Even when slightly turning his head, the room spun violently.

He hesitantly got up and left the room, holding onto furniture to steady himself. Eventually he gave up and collapsed on the floor, cursing.

Sylvia was at the door, holding a tray of cups, just before he shut his eyes to remove the sight of the room.

"You don't feel good, right?" He could hear her concern as she set the tray on his nightstand. She helped him up and let him sit on the bed, "We all felt horrible this morning, Curie told me. I wasn't too surprised when I saw you sitting there."

He grunted, "What happened?"

Sylvia helped him get a sip of a sweet concoction, presumably made by Curie. "I really don't know. We didn't exert ourselves that much back at the river, and Curie won't say what we did, but I think we overworked ourselves without knowing it."

Ethan nodded. "I see..."

He thought for a moment, grasping at a memory he hoped to find. "Ethan?"

"It's nothing, I remembered I need to ask Curie about that one man."

Sylvia's eyes went unfocused, "The one who seemed to be Valper's boss?"

"Him."

She nodded, "Alright, let's go. Only after you drink both these cups."

He protested but she was adamant, even refusing to help him stand to leave the room.

Ethan felt strangely happy she was paying him more attention. Not to say he was a puppy vying for attention, but it made him pleased she was willing to care for him when he needed it. He took the cup and drank slowly, chugging the drink made his throat tighten and the liquid impossible to swallow.

There was no vertigo, no longer feeling at the verge of collapsing. "Did you make this? Extremely effective."

Sylvia shook her head, but she had a thoughtful expression, "Curie actually made it, but I know every step she made and all ingredients used."

"Ah, let's go thank her then." Ethan rose from his bed and proceeded downstairs.

"No need," Curie smiled when Ethan gave his gratitude. "You guys needed a good recovery."

He sighed and grinned. "Curie."

The woman raised an eyebrow questioningly. Ethan gave a description of the man, and spoke of his character, along with the implied power.

Curie laughed softly and shook her head, "I know him personally. He is Kokabiel, former 'Angel of the Stars.'"

He remembered the name from texts in the Vatican. "But...former?"

"Mhm," Curie answered, chopping up vegetables and putting them into a plate, "He fell a while back, and is now a Kadre of Fallen Angels."

"Ah..." Ethan thought for a moment, "What can he do?"

"Nothing much," Curie answered, "He shouldn't be your concern now, very far from your concern."

The woman aimed the knife at the table while she turned her head, " _ **You**_ focus on handling Stray Devils and otherworldly creatures for the next week. The time will come eventually."

He gritted his teeth and sighed, accepting the answer. She usually gave these answers, hinting at future events. Not to mention this was her way of ending a discussion they shouldn't be having.

Sylvia broke the silence, "What's for lunch?"

Curie gave a shocked look, "Asking me for handouts? This is _my_ lunch! I thought you'd wanted to go out with Ethan and get lunch with him."

Ethan looked at Sylvia who was flushed, a look of embarrassment crossing her face as she denied the accusation.

"Oh, so that was just Jeanne then," Curie mumbled thoughtfully. But the way she said the statement made Ethan think Sylvia really did want to go out, except without Curie exclaiming it as if they were already dating.

"She does that a lot," Sylvia added, avoiding Ethan's gaze.

"Sure, I know," Curie muttered, "Ah well, a shame. Would you want to go out anyway? Jeanne and Siegfried already left with another young man, while Freed accepted a solo mission from the Vatican."

Sylvia stood, "Of course, Ethan?"

Ethan stood too, "Sure. Who was that man?"

Curie set down her knife, "Not sure. I think I caught his name as Cao Cao. He was a dashing man, Asian if memory serves. Spoke a bit about a human-only team he had and if they wanted to join."

Sylvia and Ethan shared glances, "But what about us and Freed?"

She shrugged nonchalantly, "He also mentioned Sacred Gears. As far as I know, you two don't have one. Cao Cao wasn't impressed with Freed much. Not to mention, no Sacred Gear."

Curie turned back to her cooking, allowing Sylvia to grab his hand and pull him out the door.

Ethan didn't wish to tag along. In fact, he wanted to join Freed in his mission, a much better way to spend his day.

Time flowed by, surprisingly quickly. Sylvia cast some jokes, Ethan laughed at the punchlines.

When she smiled, he returned it out of instinct.

She allowed him to pick a restaurant of his choice for lunch, and she ordered the exact as he did when he decided on his food. He was astonished she didn't question if he gave it any thought at all. He just wasn't interested in investing time into the day with her.

He held an arm's load of clothes as he carried it back to Curie's home with Sylvia, before finally encountering Freed.

"Where have you been all day?"

"Bah, just had to go run some tests with the big ol' boss," Freed slung the words casually with a shrug. "Just boring bits."

"No mission? Test run?" Ethan asked, eyebrow raised.

"Oh, that. It was an all-in-one package, nothing split. Still boring. You?"

"Been a dull day, just a dull day. Running around doing jack shit."

Freed grinned, "Oh? That so?"

Ethan frowned, "Would have preferred doing something else, frankly."

"Ethan? Want me to carry the bags for you?" He heard Sylvia's voice and shrugged, passing the bags he held into her hands. The exchange happened to quickly, too quickly, he knew something was off when she pulled the bags from his hands.

Ethan focused back to Sylvia, and saw her familiar spirit was gone. Her smile was far smaller and her mood had become noticeably suppressed. "Hey."

"Hm?" She was disinterested, voice void of emotion. "Oh, don't mind me, catch up with Freed. You guys probably have a lot more to talk about."

Ethan looked back, realization dawning on him, and Freed's grin grew wide when he saw the expression, "You done fuck up now."

"Sylvia-" Ethan turned around and hurried to match her pace, but he never had the chance to speak, Curie had cast open the door, the light shining out down onto the yard. At the steps were men in coats and suits, watched by heavily armored men.

One officer stepped away from the van and nodded at the trio, "Sirs and ma'am, this is the first time you have met us. Are you aware of the SCP?"

The man's voice was filtered and slightly distorted behind the helmet and it's mouthpiece, presumably to prevent ordinary civilians from determining the officer's identity.

It was hollow and deep, masking the human's identity behind it. However, the voice emitted was not quite robotic, the voice was just disguised by the scrambler.

Calm and authoritative without being too commanding.

Ethan looked at Sylvia, but she purposefully avoided his gaze, shaking her head as she stared forward. Ethan looked at Freed with a look, the exorcist shrugged nonchalance. "No?"

"Good, you shouldn't," the officer responded. "Otherwise, we would have had a problem on our hands, brother. Tonight, we're here to inform you of an alliance between the SCP and the church."

The helmeted man nodded his head in the direction of the detectives and Curie, "In fact, we're informing your Handler the details of the contract at this moment. You won't need to know about the contract actually, but we'd like you to join us in an operation, understand the MT-the Mobile Task Force, and the Rapid Response Teams, you feel me brother? Get to know us and our procedures before you make the decision between the church and SCP."

Ethan looked over to the detectives, who was invited in by Curie.

"It's a deal of a lifetime, brother," he heard the officer say, "I hope you choose to join the SCP and pass the selection. Trust me, I say it's really fucking worth it. Not my choice whether you join or not, but you're really missing out on a lot in the church."

* * *

" **From what we've heard so far, you are a good fit, you've met our critera, and answered in such a way we cannot turn you down."**

" **One question, why do you not mind anomalies? I've seen your eyes, son. I asked for certainty and both times you've answered, your eyes** _ **gave**_ **an absolute passion."**

" _I guess I've always been crazy. I don't think these will bother me at all."_

" **Let's be honest here son. You've seen an entity before, haven't you? The SCP never administered an amnesiac?"**

" _I never knew about the SCP, I don't think the event occured was noticeable enough for them to come, but...I've seen things that left me just..."_

" _...understanding there is some things we won't understand. Maybe not for some time, maybe never."_

" **What have you seen?"**

" _A black box. A square. I was forced to look in."_

" **..."**

" _You won-"_

" **Son, I know betrer than to ask. Let me ask you once more: Will you be bothered by these unusual anamolies?"**

" _I've seen worse, I will not be bothered. Not at all."_

" **That is all."**

" _Sir?"_

" _Sylvia? Can she-"_

" **Her...she is questionable. We cannot determine whether to accept her or not. Her willpower is extraordinary. I've seen her push herself, but we do not know if her mind has the endurance."**

" _I understand."_

" **I will not say emotions are forbiddin in operations, but don't get yourself killed over her."**

" _I know."_

" **We will let you know if she is a candidate for Omicron Rho."**

" _Thank you, sir."_

* * *

 ** _Reviews:_**

 **doomqwer: I agree, some I feel would be 682, 096, 076, hell maybe even 2316 itself is enough to kill all of DxD. Although I'd like to see 682 go around killing all of DxD while cursing its ass off at how pissed it is and the fruitless efforts of everyone. That thing even survived not existing :)  
**

 **Amatsumi: No, not the council, who they are speaking to is too much of an irrelavent figure they won't be speaking to him directly. Think it is the HR in a job interview, something similar.  
**

 **Struggler-Sama Nerazim: Thanks! I hope it stays excellent and you stay awesome too :)  
**

 **Aquaticmammals:Glad you're hyped! I hope the future chapters will be well worth the wait, as for Clef, I'll need to learn a bit about the doctor before I can bring him into the story, don't want him to be OOC!  
**

 **Junior VB: Thank you! I hope this idea will stick a good one. Freed is insane, but I'd like to make him different, perhaps a good logical, well-developed character rather than the shit one we got in the anime :P  
**

 **A/N: Sorry it took so long to release this chapter. I've been pretty much slapped with assignments(kinda). Every week I have a lab to do and I always have a week to finish the report and turn it in on the next time I have the laboratory class. My weekdays are kinda packed and therefore I usually do the labs on Saturday...Not to mention I put aside time to read some novels and also take a look at some SCPs that I can use.**

 **And games. Gacha games. Oh how fun they are...Even on Sundays my day usually leaves little to no time to type up a chapter. I really apologize for that if you are hoping to read this on a relatively reliable schedule(read as "every week or every other week").  
**

 **No promises that the next chapter will be released within a good time. Hopefully I can do it by Halloween, but hell, I'll be lucky if I can even do that. I still have to do labs every week and type a report on the weekends with no break in sight, along with other homework, _and_ I have to begin getting off my lazy ass and get working on starting the ROV I have to finish by the end of the fall semester.  
**

 **So times I may release chapters(if I make good progress with not shit chapters) will be Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas(or New Years), outside of that, other times will be when I hit my Spring Break or Summer Break. But that's considering everything's perfect, and life always makes sure that shit isn't happening.  
**

 **Again, I apologize, and see you next time, maybe sooner if you decide to contact me on Discord.  
**


	3. Captain of Tau-7

" **Impressive. You're good to go, son. Questionnaire, flawless. Physical, excellent. Adaptability, also excellent."**

" **Ah. I noticed there is animosity towards you from Ms. Lyyneheym, are you aware?"**

" _I...I am."_

" **Yet you still care for her...Ah! No need to explain. I won't nose into personal matters. Just watch out for yourself."**

" _Thank you, sir..._ _ **again**_ _."_

* * *

"I don't like this," the voice came from beside him. Ethan faced the fully geared SCP officer. "Not something I like."

He didn't reply to Siegfried. He wasn't sure on how to answer.

"I joined to get stronger, to surpass myself each day. We don't even work much in the SCP. When we do find something, we are forced to prevent its death or destruction. This is too hindering."

He raised the weapon in his hands, "Hell, how am I supposed to improve when using a gun over a sword? I get this is reliable, but we don't use this often anyway."

Ethan started to reply, but was cut off when a man exited the back of a vehicle. Standing at an impressive six feet seven, if Weinberg's height wasn't intimidating, his permanent scowl under his forest of a complete beard with the discolored patch of skin at his left temple was.

Apparently, the injury came from an operation securing an SCP, the blotch the size of a handprint never healed permanently covered the upper left portion of his face.

"So you two are the new operators for me."

Ethan nodded.

"And the support girl? How about her?" His tone was commanding, but he wasn't rude, simply loud with the dignity of former military.

"Back at base, she arrives later with medical assistance if we need it." Weinberg let out a breath shaking his head.

"No problem, you two ain't too familiar with procedures, so I have to do some babysitting." Weinberg gestured to the rifle in Ethan's hands, he handed it over. "Watch."

The man explained how to complete a functions check as he pulled the charging handle and set the selector on safe before pulling the trigger. Once going through the process for three selector modes, he had Ethan and Siegfried repeat the process.

"Decent, but do it faster, we always prep before going on the field, but we can't have you act like you're handling glass. Again."

They did it again, and it seemed acceptable to Weinberg, "Good. Now, if your rifle seems fucked, for the love of God don't go out there and start firing like a dumbass. Bring the shit to me or the armory and get it swapped with something that works."

Both of them nodded and Weinberg beckoned the two and the three other operators with them to follow. "The church had a call for an anomaly, didn't say who or what it was, so we got sent to handle it. Just follow the instructions I give and you'll be fine."

They approached the large group of operators gathered outside a factory. "Sir, the factory seems mundane as far as we can tell, so we're assuming the entity is inside."

"I see," Weinberg replied. "Then gear up, suit up and get your radios for indoor containment.."

The dozen operators were retrieving the gear from the mobile operating base when a vehicle rolled up towards the factory. Weinberg immediately called out the newcomers and raised his rifle, the ten other Foundation members following suit.

"Unidentified vehicle, announce yourselves!" The door to the van opened, "I will tell you we are armed and will not hesitate to fire if you are a threat!"

A man excited, calm and bored as he looked at the ten men aiming rifles and sub-mahine guns at them. Ethan recognized the man and called to the CO, "Sir, these are friendlies. Herbert is a member for one of the exorcist task force."

Herbert wrinkled his nose at the Foundation operators, "The church sent us to assist you with this operation _._ "

He didn't mention how much he disliked the exorcist, however.

Weinberg seemed annoyed, "You ain't supposed to be here, the church contacted the Foundation about this and we said no, we don't need help. Is that _**not**_ fucking clear enough?"

"The church is adamant we come, so here we are."

"That attitude will get you shot you retard, especially if you pull this shit off on a site."

Herbert simply looked back at the van as four exorcists exited. "The church won't be too happy with this proceeding."

"Well the Foundation ain't going to be amused the church ignored its fucking 'no.' Does that word ring a bell in your noggin?" Herbert seemed rocked at the reply but quickly recovered.

"Then I suppose you won't need our help, we'll stay here and won't get in your way."

"Better fucking not," Weinberg spat, "You and your group is one of the ones who refused to undergo the vetting process. You have no clue how to handle anomalies."

Weinberg turned back to the eleven operators, "Frank, Tristel, Yukki, you three stay back and man the L-ATV I don't trust these men."

The three operators nodded assent as the remaining nine grouped together their vehicles and strapped on the necessary gear.

"Telemetry check."

 _[Radio and VLF 100%. Optical 100%.]_

"I'd just like to report the church sent Force Hotel Beta despite base denial," Weinberg said in a gruff voice, clearly still annoyed.

 _[Acknowledged, will bring it up the next conference with Overseers.]_

"You'd better. These guys are prepared to fight and I can see them killing some anomalies, but they are drastically under-prepared for _securing_ them. If the church wants men sent, they better send people who agreed to the vetting."

 _[Roger all, please proceed.]_

Ethan saw Weinberg's red face lose it's color as he calmed down and nodded before saying, "Acknowledged. We've done equipment check before contact."

He knew the base received word, but it declined to reply.

The nine men entered, with the half exorcist group following with a good distance behind.

"Abandoned, as assumed. Thirty meter lobby area, void of any furniture. We have doors leading to adjacent rooms, we aren't touching anything yet."

 _[Proceed to your discretion. We've noticed nothing amiss either.]_

"Sir," one operator called, and Ethan heard a faint _ping_ ,"Something's moving further inside."

"Damn," Weinberg shined a his flashlight down the room leading to an open hall, leading to complete darkness. Nothing moved in front of the light, but the Foundation members felt the looming presence. "We are _**not**_ going in there, let's see if we can draw it out."

One of the men turned to Siegfried and asked, "Think you could fire a few rounds?"

He complied and the rounds slammed into the opposite wall of the building as the explosions roared in the lobby, the sound deafening as the noise echoed within itself.

"Agai-" Weinberg began to shout.

"Sir!" Weinberg cursed as he was cut off mid-sentence. "What the hell?"

"That ain't an anomaly," one man muttered under his breath as he spoke to base while the eight other men stared with weapons aimed.

He began taking pictures and getting a video feed as Ethan moved to cover him. "Base, sending live feed. Unknown if entity if an SCP or supernatural. Awaiting orders."

 _[Decision to be made when images and video is process. Stay calm.]_

"Gonna be hard to do with this massive fucker," Weinberg cut in to reply before the operator could. "Make it quick, please."

" **Ohh, it seems we have visitors tonight."** The melodious voice came from the creature. " **Making such a ruckus, you must have wanted to see me real badly."**

Ethan flipped the safety off as the Foundation member captured more images of the being's slitted blue eyes and open gaping mound of teeth, before down to the female nude body under the head, devoid of clothing, with curved hips and large breasts.

As she rose higher, her lower body came into view, similar to a centaur except with a scorpion's body rather than a horse's, complete with thin, pointy legs clacking on the steel floor and tail. "Base, we will occupy its time as much as possible, but I'm now certain this is more supernatural than anomaly."

 _[Input taken into account. Reviewing footage now.]_

" **You guys seem delectable, like crab and lobster. Oh I just can't wait to tear open your shells and eat that gooey mess you humans call** _ **meat**_ **."**

"That's great and all," Weinberg called up to her, "But we also brought some other things that you could eat."

 **"Oh? I smell nothing on you except weapons."** She turned to the captain and started to lean forward.

 _[Reviewed with church contacts. Stray devil, no anomaly. Proceed as you see fit.]_

Ethan heard the frustration and annoyance in the command's voice before the radio ended the transmission.

"Lead, bitch."

All nine men opened fire at multiple spots. Three aimed for headshots, the bullets splitting open half of the stray devil's head as she screamed in rage.

Four to five shots had torn the eyes off the creature while the rest pinged off the steel walls, some ricocheting while others dug into the material.

Weinberg and one other man hit the base of the legs of the creature, sending it crashing down as it moved forward in an attempt to engage. Once it was down, Ethan and the Foundation member joined the last four in firing at center of mass.

" **FOo** _ **LS! HuMAn WeaPOnS canNoT. Kill De**_ **vILS!"**

A hand lashed out and grabbed one man while the scorpion's tail struck a man down, pinning him, but failing to penetrate the Foundation distributed armor.

Both men had panicked and fired fruitlessly for a second before regaining their senses and grabbing their melee weapons and hacked at the flesh holding them.

The one pinned by the tail had begun cracking the exoskeleton of the barb but realized the venom that was contained in the tip and began to push it off as the Foundation member held in a vice grip screamed as he slashed through the web of the cheek of the devil before thrusting the knife to the hilt into the wrist of the stray.

She shrieked as he drew his knife back and forth severing the bones and tissue, slicing at an artery and vein, tearing through ligaments and tendons.

She let go and the man fell before crumpling at the floor from the two story drop. Her tail retracted and began spasming as she began dissolving, trying to attack the heads of the Foundation Taskforce to maim as much as she could before the blessed weapon she was injured with finished consuming her.

Her tail slammed into the helmet of an operator when he couldn't duck quick enough and slammed him into the floor of the building. Another ran to his side, her hand feeling for his pulse as she removed his helmet. When the devil finally died as she dispersed into shards of light, Weinberg approached the Foundation member who was pinned down, checking for fatal wounds before walking to the spot the second Foundation member was dropped unceremoniously at.

Ethan looked at Siegfried who seemed solemn as he turned away to approached the Foundation member knocked into the wall.

He approached the one pinned by the tail and gave him a hand, only to find out upon a closer approach it was a woman in her mid- to late-twenties. "All good?"

She accepted his hand and pulled herself up, "Yeah, glad the fucker ain't an SCP."

He raised his eyebrows, "How come?"

The woman removed her helmet and smoothed her hair, wiping the sweat on her forehead. "The fuckers we fight are on a whole 'nother level. I swear these are actually more containable than Euclid entities. If we had chosen to, it would already be packed and ready to transported to a site, that demon."

"Stray devil," Ethan corrected and frowned at the impulsive correction.

The woman smirked and adjusted her ponytail, "I forgot, you're one of the exorcists. Surprising you made it onto a Response Team rather than sit through the training. Special kid."

She replaced her helmet as Weinberg returned, hauling the downed Foundation member on his shoulder, "Lyynesta Hollis, by the way."

"Ethan...Sakamoto." Her expression showed she already knew, but she nodded respectfully regardless.

"Well met, hope you stay with us, kid. I've seen the other exorcists and I think they're just an edge over law enforcement, no matter what the church says."

He frowned, and she caught the look, "I meant no offense but honestly, the Foundation has been dealing with tougher shit so the worst you guys fight are these devils. Trust me when I say you guys got it easy."

Weinberg returned, "Alright team, Victoris now out of action, leaves us eight to check out the rest of this building."

He pointed, "Siegfried, Hernandez, Volanski, you're with me. Sakamoto, Hertz, and White, you three with Hollis. From outside it looks like there's a south wing, We'll go check it out and your four examine the rooms here.

"Preferably, hold fire until Base can confirm the threat is an anomaly, but if it's hostile I believe we got permission to open fire, correct?"

 _[Absolutely, Captain Weinberg. Live feed broadcasting and we'll also alert if there is a potential cognitohazard.]_

"Sounds good," Weinberg replied. "Let's get a move on."

Lyynesta and Gerald Hertz led the front while Nelson White covered the back of the team.

Each time the team reached a door, Lyynesta crouched at one side as Gerald went to the other and turned the knob, pushing inward and following Lyynesta inside when she ran in as the point man. They had made it explicit Ethan and Nelson stayed outside and watched the corridor.

"Anything?"

"Negative. All mundane documents," Lyynesta reported back, "Split into two groups, we'll shorten the time to cover all the rooms."

She made sure to look at each team member individually, "And be sure to call to us if you need help."

Gerald and Lyynesta went down the wall to the next room while Nelson and Ethan took the room across.

"So, you think we'll find anything?" Nelson asked as both of them cleared the first room and skimmed over the near empty folders in the cabinets.

"Doubt it," Ethan replied after a moment of thought, "Stray devils tend to be...uh, Keter, but lack any coordination at all."

"I see," he replied and nodded his head towards the door, "So I'll assume exorcists haven't ever searched a building with a Stray?"

He hesitated, "I suppose so. I guess it'll depend on the team and target, but I've never done it."

"Hm," Nelson nodded and broke into the next room, finding nothing. Searching proved fruitless, which was predicted.

Nobody left disappointed, but Weinberg was fuming as they exited the factory, heading directly for Herbert.

"Look here, kid. You get back to the church and make sure they _**fucking**_ know we aren't just a Rent-a-Merc organization," Weinberg's voice didn't loud. Contrary to his words, he wasn't foaming at the mouth and spitting out word in anger, but it was clear he was unhappy.

"We made our terms _**clear**_ when the deal was made, alright? We don't do your fucking work for you and we aren't here to fucking entertain you. If you think you fucks can send us in against your supernatural beings and laugh as we drop like flies, think again. I've seen worse shit than you can possibly ever fucking _**imagine**_ in your mortal life and I've helped imprison literal gods while all you did was kill any scorpion you were tasked to kill."

Ethan could tell Herbert was furious. Although the man refused to show any emotion, Ethan fought alongside him for a decent amount before entering Team Helios to recognize the relaxed jaw, the somewhat upward gaze to above the treeline as he took a deep breath.

It was one that read, " _Why do I have to deal with this idiot?"_

But little did he know Weinberg's words held true. Ethan was new to the Foundation but had gotten just a level one clearance, but it was enough to see what the abnormal had in store for the world, and what exactly the Foundation had to continuously keep in check.

Team Helios only left a lingering touch when they found and killed the Ganeshas.

That was the easiest anomalies the Foundation had seen, semi-mindless, Keter, and easy to terminate with little consequence. Their equivalent to stray devils.

But Herbert was ignorant, he wanted to kill Weinberg on the spot, Ethan can see that clear as day. And knowing how the church favored him, they would shrug off the murder.

He took a look at the dozen men armed to the teeth in rifles, armor, an armored vehicle with its machine gun mounted by a Foundation operator taking a leisurely smoke, and the sound of approaching helicopters, then thought better of it, and simply turned around without a word. His team followed suit, filing into the vehicles before driving off.

Weinberg shook his head and walked back to the vehicles, "I swear I'll be fucking killed by these exorcists than a damn SCP."

He glanced at Ethan and gave a jerk of his head, "Let's get back home, kiddo."

* * *

"Captain Weinberg didn't leave a good impression with the church."

The woman in the seventh chair barked out a laugh. "No shit, I expected that, to be honest. I don't blame them for feeling that way."

The first man looked at her, but she raised a hand, "Not defending them. I understand Weinberg's... _annoyance_. Completely."

The thirteenth man spat out a wad of tobacco, the man's aim impeccable as it pinged into the trash can. "Fucking assholes. 'It's urgent! We haven't gotten any info back from recon teams.' Ah knew it was all bullshit cause Ah know them incompetent cunts been searching the wrong place all day! Yaknow them recon team was nearly two kilometers from the factory?"

The first man rubbed his chin, although the council was usually manned by a main group, including himself, there were well more than just thirteen people who held a seat. Nearly half of the people present today were from the second council set, two more were from the tertiary group.

"Ah fucking tell y'all, they cannot be trusted. Out there near mah hometown, we nearly got containment breaches already. Ahm just glad we got them safe anomalies at taht site."

The fourth man wearing wire-rimmed glasses sat up as he adjusted them, "You're joking. Already?"

"Them dumbass exorcists don't know what they're doing. Fucking passed around SCP-662 like a dahmn toy. At least them exorcists got the brains to not ask Mr. Deeds to do something fucking stupid. And for 1609, it's a dahmn miracle we didn't get a containment breach with multahple dead exorcists."

The first rubbed his head, cursing his tertiary first seater for even suggesting the idea of the cooperation. A consultation would be needed at a later date.

It is impossible for the Tertiary First to be working to unleash the anomalies into the world intentionally, knowing the nature of the Foundation and the forces it runs under. Regardless, he has now played a role in a disaster waiting to happen in the near future.

The best he could do right now is to keep a tighter leash on the ideas thrown out and restrict security clearance of exorcists, especially ones who are listed to cause a containment breach...

Essentially all of them.

Ninety-four percent of the sixteen-hundred and seventy-two accepted.

He returned his attention to the twelve seated members of this council as they began looking at him for guidance. "We cannot cancel this contract early."

There were reluctant nods of agreement. "I agree with the third Overseer-One that the church reaches as far as we do and certainly gathers information fairly quickly, sometime quicker than us, but losing that connection is not detrimental to us, not to mention..."

He glanced down at the sheet in front of him, reading: _**Captain Weinberg**_ _-Fucking hate them, screw formality; ████-Two near breaches, two were manhandled, they're basically kids;_ _ **Dr.███████**_ █ _-Decent, shared useful information we haven't gotten before, lacks understanding of our procedures;_ _ **Corporal █████ Ulysses**_ _-Two of them fucking died because they can't follow procedures, went with their instincts;_ _ **Hotel Juliet Seven**_ _-They handle things too aggressively, trained but they solve everything through killing. Nearly unleashed hell by killing the Keter SCP-█_ ███, _listed to never terminate._

"Four incidents listed with many more within the next hours. Have we yet gotten a good report? Praise of any kind?"

Complete silence.

The first man blew out air from his cheeks, "Fucking _hell_. I'll speak with Second Overseer-One. The two of us shall discuss this and if the church doesn't straighten their act, I'm personally going to the fucking meeting and denying the contract with vehemence."

There was nervous laughter across the table. The first overseer council member entering public eye was an absurd thought.

Yet his glare showed his conviction if it ever became necessary. "This is clearly a disaster and I want it known if the church wants to keep its contacts, they better fix their performance."

They nodded as he gave his statement, which he added shortly after. "As a side note, keep an eye on every news outlet and website on the internet. I have an inkling of a feeling they would leak information of our existence. Rather that not happen, mind you."

They agreed to do so, although agreement was redundant, they have been doing it since the modern-day Foundation was created. As they filed out, a man entered and removed his helmet, revealing the unruly black beard and the greyed out flesh on his face. "You called."

"I hear your concern and I'd thought since you dislike the exorcists, I'd recall them from your supervision."

Weinberg's eyes widened and he let out a hearty bellow, "Ah! I suppose in my anger I fucked up what I _meant_ to say. The Sakamoto kid, Ethan. I like him. Siegfried not so much, that boy is a bit too gloomy. I can tell he doesn't want to be here, but I'll keep him."

"Oh?"

Weinberg nodded once curtly, "Yeah. If you do want to take a kid out, take out Siegfried and recondition him or some shit. But let me keep Ethan. I like that kid."

"And Sylvia?"

"That girl?" Weinberg seemed to give some thought before grabbing a pen and stabbing it at the table, "I can't say for sure, since I only spoke to her briefly before sending her out to the assignment you posted for the support team. Smart kid though, I'd prefer to keep her."

"I see, so what _was_ your complaint about?"

Weinberg's brows furrowed and he replied, "The church exorcists, the ones who didn't go through the vetting process. Got their heads so stuck up the church's ass, they don't know they're doing all the slimy work for the church, or just don't care. I'd rather work with the conditioned men."

"I see..." the man flicked a page over, "Unfortunately, you're going to continue working with the church for another few months. I'm not terminating the contract early, and I'd like to siphon some information they have to our databases. They may have found some anomalies by chance, and I'd like to make sure everything vital they have are in our possession first. I apologize ahead of time, brother."

Weinberg scoffed and shook his head, "Whatever. There's nothing I can do except bitch on and on anyway."

The man laughed and looked down, tapping the pen on the table, "I'll have you know it was the third Overseer-One that suggested this idea."

"I thought so, knowing us. You wouldn't have been _that_ much of a dumbass to forget what happened."

"Course not! Now, how about that AAR? You're deploying to Site 13."

Weinberg furrowed his eyebrows, "You can't mean-"

"You know exactly which place. Nothing serious, we're just doing SaR with civilians who found their way inside the tunnels. Don't know _how_ they got in, but they're stuck when we've noticed sounds coming from deceased members' radios."

"You sure it isn't a lure?"

The man shook his head, "No, all anomalies are gone. We've known that much since Captain Hollis sent the fucking place God knows where. These are empty tunnels with kids and teens ran into thinking it's a fun house. Nothing more."

* * *

Ethan sidestepped and struck with his elbow as the face swept by, missing as Siegfried pushed off to the side with his heel. The elbow missed the jaw, by how far he didn't see. Siegfried narrowed his eyes and muttered a short phrase, his Sacred Gear taking effect shortly afterward, four arms now equipped with four cylindrical poles.

He cursed when Siegfried approached, hacking and slashing with each limb individually, one after another relentlessly, forcing Ethan to continuously backpedal to properly defend from the onslaught until he rushed forward and struck down with all four arms together, the combined force pushing Ethan down with ease.

Although thin, Ethan knew the exorcist is easily able to bench press one-hundred and fifty pounds and each of his arms curled thirty pounds. Ethan couldn't even fathom matching the strength to power through Siegfried. Not to mention the man had the endurance to run five miles in thirty minutes. There was no hope to tire out the man.

There was a sharp whistle and the two faced the source of the sound. Weinberg was approaching them with his hands on his hips, "Interesting play. I _knew_ you were the kid with the arms, Sieg."

The exorcist nodded once curtly, as he dispersed his Sacred Gear. "Sorry to interrupt, but we have to get a move on. A MTF went northwest of the US/Mexico border, and we're following our support team."

Ethan stood unsteadily and stabbed down the pole as he got ready to follow. Siegfried spoke up, "Isn't that the location of SCP-1730? Yet we're going there?"

Weinberg have a grin, his face showing a pleased expression, "So you did your research, eh? It's been neutralized for a while, couple years, I think. But the place is still acting up, parts of the facility hadn't been transported with the actual building.

"We're going there to help evacuation. Apparently there's been civvies who stumbled into the tunnels of the damned place. We haven't had any losses yet, and the MTF is cleaning up." Siegfried nodded and began moving when the lights blinked.

Ethan and Siegfried cast their glances up while Weinberg immediately set his hand on his radio.

On the second flash, he didn't hesitate and spoke calmly as he ordered, "We got tampering with the main power. Everyone get in position and start Procedure Tango Hotel. All engineers, scientists, and non-combat units, retreat to room Kilo-Sierra. Rendezvous with support team Mu-Niner at the Luncheon. This may not be a drill, grab your Scramblers and your gear, we'll need it tonight. Hustle up."

Weinberg jerked his head at Siegfried, "Come with me, we need to get a look at one cell in particular. If we don't get it contained, this site is unbelievably boned. Sakamoto, you'll be going with Delta-Seven to investigate the main power. As a warning, keep your scramblers up and eject them only when they are fully dead and you're not within hazardous range. This site is dangerous and there are going to be some cognitohazards. You do _not_ want to look at them."

"Yes sir," Ethan responded and proceeded to ask, "But where do I find team Delta?"

"Home," the captain replied and made a turn right, Ethan whipped left and sprinted down a flight of stairs after following them on the turn.

He made his way to the MTF barracks as fast as he could, and entered his room, grabbing his sheathed swords and laying them on the bunk before opening the locker and strapping on his Foundation-issued military vest and MTF-issued scrambling helmet, the headgear a step above the normal Foundation-issued military helmet.

In addition to the visor manufactured with experimental material, the MTF has made sure to integrate a HUD that analyzes the health status of nearby operators, retrofitted to reduce the noise coming from rifles in close quarters while preserving the sound of voices and other noises, selectable night vision, an integrated scanner utilized by black ops which detects even the slightest bit of movement to even a heartbeat through a wall, and SCRAMBLER technology created and modified by the Foundation and MTFs themselves, which would "scramble" cognitohazards and other memetic agents that would either terminate or render the operator incapacitated for an indefinite period.

He glanced at the manual on the inside of his locker and prayed that the equipment was as good as the Foundation praised it to be.

Pulling on the helmet and clicking the strap, he pulled the swords around his waist and grabbed the M416, attaching a holographic sight and a flashlight to the rifle and performed a functions check, something Weinberg ground into him again on their way back to the site.

He clicked on the flashlight on his helmet as the power went out in the corridor. He jogged down the hall as quickly as he could, making up for the time he was kitting up. Upon reaching the recreation room, nicknamed the Home for Us Assholes. Entering, he found two Foundation members standing guard over a man in a lab coat who appeared to be in his thirties.

"Finally, you're here," one of the MTF operators said as he went for the door Ethan came through. His partner silently followed. "Boss told us one squad needed assistance, so he had us retreat back. They already gone ahead when the power went out minutes ago."

Ethan looked at him in confusion, "But what about this scientist?"

He felt the Foundation member smile, "This is a senior researcher and also one of the civil engineers for this whole place, he is actually supposed to accompany you and the Taskforce, but they wanted to pave a clean path first. You're to join him now catching up to them."

The researcher stood and gestured, "Leave them alone now, this place is a goner if it's out of main power for an hour. The backup has already kicked in, but it isn't enough to power the whole place at maximum efficiency."

"Then how come the lights aren't on?" Ethan questioned. The man laughed.

"Lights are a waste of power, especially when all of us can carry a light source. We've skipped on connecting the backup to lighting the place, with exceptions like SCP-017 and 106, where lighting is necessary. Otherwise, all power is to keeping the anomalies contained."

He nodded, understanding the logic. This easily maximized the time to keeping the doors closed and all equipment running. Despite this, an hour is too short a time, this meant this was either a high-security facility or this site housed many anomalies.

"Unfortunately, meals may spoil since I suggested against that."

"Monster," Ethan muttered as he thought of the food left unchilled in the many fridges.

The man chuckled, "We still have canned food, no worries." He walked purposefully down the hall with Ethan, clearly unfazed by the predicament, "Name's Joshua Odes, senior researcher and civil engineer for Site-16 and department head of the scientists in discovering the secrets behind SCP-2440."

"Ethan Sakamoto, nice to meet you, Mr. Odes."

"Just Joshua is fine, you're one of the few exorcists accepted into MTFs aren't you?"

He was surprised and faltered midstep, "You know?"

"Word gets around easily," Joshua waved a hand dismissively, "Not to mention you don't know me. We've had a couple of power failure before, and all the employees know each other here in Site-16 one way or another. We've lost some over the last few months, and we've had no replacements. We aren't under-performing yet, so the Foundation had to send the limited funds its had to other sites in need or those that are of more importance.

"You, Sir Siegfried, Ms. Lyyneheym, Ms. Shidou, Ms. Quarta, the dozen exorcists in Team Jabberwocky are the only new employees we've had since..." the man tilted his head slightly, "Fifteenth of July if I'm not mistaken."

The two stopped talking as Ethan's radio crackled to life _[Sakamoto, respond.]_

He powered replied, "I'm here. Am I near?"

 _[Power off your flashlight.]_ Ethan complied and the order came swiftly _[We're nearby, head down the hall two doors and make the turn left. We're ahead.]_

He found the team soon enough, it wasn't hard to see the movement of near a dozen flashlights at an intersection.

Joshua stepped forward, "So what's the situation colonel?"

The colonel shined the flashlight down at a small pile of corpses, apparently shot full of bullets, "We got trouble with 2440."

Ethan blinked and saw concern on Joshua's face. He recognized the bodies on the floor, they were younger exorcists of the church who were under a secret program. Allegedly.

"That's not good," Joshua growled, "Tell me."

The colonel lowered his rifle, "When we approached them, these guys started speaking strangely, talking about the sealed one and whatnot. We already knew what it's all about. We're now crossing to the spreading of SCP-2440."

Joshua nodded, once he took a deep breath, "Understood. Hand me the radio. I'll send a request to the Overseer Council. Have them contact all low-priority MTF teams and recall all of them to The Site."

"This is Seniority-Tau Two Four Four Epsilon. The subject is now projected past two-fifty, and we've got a case because of it. Find all teams with lower clearance and begin X-Cleansing.

 _[Senior-Tau...uh yes. If you don't mind, please hold as we get a senior member...]_

Ethan glanced at Joshua, who seemed unconcerned with the awkward tone in the reply. "Don't worry. Not everyone knows about 2440. It's very dangerous to have it known. We kept ours open to it because it gauges the number of people who know of it outside of this place."

 _[You're connected to a Two-Four-Four-Epsilon member, Seniority-Tau.]_

 _[_ _Got your request, will proceed to order all low-priority MTFs on sight as soon as your situation is cleared. Any teams you'd request to stay contaminated?_ _]_

"Yes, my personal team Delta-Seven and Weinberg's Kilo-Niner."

[ _Roger all._ ]

"Gonzales, Oklahoma, with me," Joshua called, and the two ran up to him, he turned to Ethan, "And you, Sakamoto."

The rest of the team were fotifying the position, some of the men and women setting down shields as they handled a SMG in one hand, a partner situated behind them with a rifle in the other. Some laid prome in the far back with high-powered rifles aimed down the corridor, guarded by a maximum of three Foundation members.

Two more joined Joshua wordlessly, but he said not a word. Ethan assumed they were to always accompany him, his star guards. Before passing through the door, Joshua grabbed an SMG from a Foundation member, who took his place behind a sniper.

Ethan expected the main area to be destroyed, unsalvageable and abandoned, but he was surprised when he saw half a dozen exorcists look up and draw their weapons.

It wasn't so much their appearance, but rather that he remembered them as the ones taken for a "experimental" team. The Enlightened, was what Valper had called them. If he wasn't mistaken, over two thirds of new exorcists and a quarter of the existing bottom performing exorcists were to be under the Enlightened Project.

Ethan didn't know what happened there, but he was glad he wasn't called in, mainly because most were never seen again. But now they were here, and he recognized Cecil, Jacob, and Quintin.

Only then did he notice there were low chanting, not as if summoning anything, but it sounded as if someone was recalling the lines of sutra. They were speaking in low tones, among each other.

It was barely discernible, but Ethan heard a fleeting mention of a Him, a god, king, the beloved. They were under His orders and they obeyed them to the letter.

Upon viewing distance, the chanting abruptly stopped at once, as one. They were sitting, cross-legged, facing away from the steps except for the leader of the group, who was facing the one-way entrance.

Ethan started to call them, ask why they were here when they stood, faced them, and drew their weapons as one. "Stop!"

Joshua's call didn't make them pause, they rushed the team. Rifles and SMGs alike were raised and all fired, sending brain matter and blood everywhere, heads exploded and chest were filled with cavities. Bones broke, lungs were punctured, and faces were beaten as exorcists entered melee range.

The weapons were useless against the armor, all kinks were effectively blocked, as men and women alike were veterans of humanoid anomalies who wielded weapons, and fought terrorists and rebels from former occupations who abused the fact soldiers relied on guns.

The group that survived the initial onslaught of bullets had jaws shattered, temples crushed by the sheer force of a butt rifle slamming into them.

"Heretics, the lot of you," one exorcist said. "Your hand may strike us down, but you cannot stop him."

"We already have once," one man replied as he fired a single round into her head, then proceeded to kick the head of another that attempted to slash as his ankles then stomped on his throat. "And you fucks have killed our brothers. Your so-called god is nothing more than a maniac, and I'd rather have my home country fall to terrorists than your _**god**_."

He looked around and saw no signs of life, "At least we could take our home back when the time comes. With your god, there's no telling what will happen to Earth."

Joshua made sure to send a bullet into each exorcists's head, garnering a look of shock from Ethan. He faced the boy solemnly, "Disgusting, I know. I apologize, but this is not war. We aren't tied to the Geneva Conventions here..."

He lowered his gun, "Not this war. No...this isn't a war, but survival of humanity."

"What's that mean?" Ethan asked, with a frown on his face.

"I'll make sure to debrief you once this fiasco is cleared. You're already too deeply tied into this, not to mention you are working for Valper, are you not?"

"Not exactly," Ethan muttered, "Not like he'd tell me shit anyways."

Joshua let out a chuckle, "That's a problem, no? Few more rooms, keep your guard up."

They pressed on as half the team waited on another to clean up the mess. Standing among the rows of equipment, was a single man. He turned to the three that entered.

"I aught to shoot you right now, farce of a god," the team's captain snarled.

"Captain Daniel Vernas, was it?" he asked as he stepped closer to them. "It's been quite some time, two decades, I believe."

"What's your purpose here?" Joshua asked, cutting off the god.

The man smiled, "Why to get your attention before I move on with my plans. Just to tell you it's not too late to aid my cleansing of this world. You may just be spared."

Joshua shook his head, chuckling, "For someone as old as you, you're pretty senile. We know that's a load of bull, you don't plan on saving anyone. Not even your followers. I'll deny that offer with a big 'no.'"

The god smiled, "You really wish to stick with that decision?"

The scientist frowned and raised his SMG, "Just try nothing funny, and things will be easier for you."

He scoffed in return, "'Easier?' Why you'd have the memory of a mortal to _not_ remember that you whelps made me suffer a decade ago. I'd rather have Captain Vernas shoot me."

"And I'd fucking do it," he replied brusquely. The god grinned and rushed forward, presumably with the intent of suicide, but the captain slammed the barrel into the diaphragm of the god and brought out a pistol, pulling the trigger just as the god fell. Despite his true identity, he was merely stealing the body of a mortal, and he knew it, hence the aim to erase his own existence, he could simply take another host anyway.

But the captain was not fooled by the ploy, he knew the threat, having worked with Joshua for decades, ever since both of them had left the Army at the end of their final tours. Firing the tranquilizer dart, a weapon literally never used due to anomalies not being susceptible in many encounters, he stuck the god and let the drugs knock the being out.

Joshua nodded his approval and successfully brought up the main power for the site. "Power is back up, we're sending out all the teams to their designated locations."

 _[Right. Good luck Senority-Tau.]_

Ethan helped the captain lift the drugged god, "What was all that about?"

Joshua chuckled, "I'll tell ya later. Let's just clean up everything first."

He nodded, "Just a question."

"Oh yeah, shoot," Joshua replied as he nudged a body of an exorcist.

"What was he planning on doing? What would he achieve?"

There was a fleeting expression on his face, before he shook his head, "Dunno. You don't worry about that now. Just help Daniel clean up."

Ethan bit his tongue and nodded, "Yes sir."

"Now, I'll be with the god, contact me when you're done, I'll have Daniel and Colonel Ymir accompany you."

* * *

 **[Date:** _ **██-**_ _ **██-**_ __ __ **]**

 **[Time:** ** **██:**** **██]**

 **[Subject of Request: Hounds of Satan Support Team Member-Eleven]**

"I like him, I really do."

 **"We've figured that much, after all these months. We're neither deaf nor blind."**

"Can you tell me if he's dead? Alive?"

 **"We have no contact with the Hounds of Satan for weeks. It is undecided. We've found nothing even though the Mole Rats have dug into every nook and cranny, and Hounds of Satan are still active in the location. We're literally still getting readings now, and we're on top of their location, but it's as if they entered another reality. Stop worrying about the kid, we'll be sure to let you know once we get concrete details. As former teammates, you're counted as the only kin in partnership with the Foundation."**

"Okay...okay."

 **"Why didn't you make yourself clear to him?"**

The man watched her bite the inside of her cheek.

"I was too foolish."

He nodded, **"The kid likes you too, you know. He's been worried for a long time, since you left him alone in here."**

"Bu-"

 **"You ever wondered why we tested your mental capability before joining the Foundation?"**

"I do now..."

* * *

 **A/N: Here's another chapter. I'll make it brief, since there's nothing much to say except _Thank you_ for the favorites, follows, reviews, and concerns you guys have brought up. The next chapter might come January at the latest, for few reasons, I need to get my financial aid shit done, finish a shitton of chem work before the semester ends, and make sure I've got everything I need to know for loans. Just a heads up for the next month of silence. But I'll be alive, hopefully... :P  
**

 **Once again, if you're interested in wondering what I've typed for the next chapter, get Discord and contact Buue#2238, and I'll send the occasional screenshot of progress.**

 **Heads up for the next chapter, Azazel himself will appear and the DxD will begin merging with the Foundation. How it'll go will be a Keter anomaly in Kouh and Sirzechs calling in Foundation support due to an Overseer member being a former Satan leaving one of those business cards for his successors. Details and overall shit is still undetermined, but for sure the DxD path will finally intersect with the SCP Foundation.**

 **Reviews :**

 **doomqwer: Thanks for the suggestion, SCP-2440 will be the main push of the arc, maybe the whole story since he is undying, but he is certainly here, as you can see from this chapter.**

 **Aquaticmammals: Sounds like a sealed Trihexia by God during the war ;) I never brought up the name, just so you know, alright?**

 **Junior VB: Thanks man! Glad it appealed to you. I'll make it proceed as best and logically as I could :)**

 **Mogami Kumagawa: Hope this chapter is what you wanted to see! I didn't aim to make it too slow so it'll be dull, but too fast a mishmash would make it a mess. There are a few things that really conflict between the two organizations, the inefficiency of the church and the unethical practices by Valper, went unnoticed for a good period of time. The Foundation, on the other hand, is fairly efficient(not without faults though) and do their best to be ethical for every containment procedure.**

 **Imaginary Demon: I liked 682, a funny "joke SCP." I will most likely have him as "just a SCP," doubtful he will be tied to DxD unlike SCP-2317 who could easily be Trihexia since the lines are parallel. Who knows though.**

 **Reviews and concerns are appreciated. Criticism too :)**

 **I'll catch you guys next time.**


	4. Operation Vitruvian

**Level 3 Access Granted - Opening File 4**

* * *

"So the plan went well, I assume."

He laughed, mostly because it was a solid victory for humanity.

" **We've wasted the time of Him. It is a completely victory. Of course, this plan won't fool him again, but he knows that there's no way for him to pull a Trojan Horse on us."**

"How much more time will it take?"

" **As much time as it would to remove every follower he has, until the only teams who know of his existence is Delta-Seven, Tau-Nine, and the research team of Two-Four-Four-Epsilon."**

"So you don't know?"

" **How would I fucking know? I don't know who is in that damned cult! We're doing our best, but we aren't miracle workers."**

He grinned, "Well, I wish you luck then. I also raise the fact that it should be done ASAP."

" **No shit, Sherlock. After Altamira, you** _ **think**_ **we want another XK event?"**

* * *

Sylvia thought it was an unnatural occurrence when Ethan hadn't exited the helicopter with the rest of the team. As the thought entered her mind, she shoved it aside. It wasn't her concern, not that she wanted to care anyway.

He acted like he was different than the other members of their _former_ team, but he was no different, slaves to their superior. From the time they met, he followed, although reluctantly, all of Valper's orders. This was more due to the reason he disliked Valper, not that he hated the line of work. She always went out of her way to chisel down those walls of his, but no matter the progress, there were always more to tear down.

She decided it was no longer worth her time. If he wanted to blindly enter employment by the Foundation right after leaving Valper, so be it.

She had to admit, whoever, that she missed good company. Jeanne and Freed were back at home residing with Maidame Curie, probably still working for Valper, even if under a new group. Though she had caught wind of exorcists being locked away from clearance to all anomalies unless they are specifically cleared by a MTF captain, or the O5 Council, whoever they were.

Although she suspected the O5 were likely the "de-facto" leaders of the Foundation.

Captain Weinberg was the final one to exit, hopping out as he checked his watch. Sylvia jogged at a steady pace to him, and he turned his head, "Kiddo, what's up?"

"Someone would like to see you," she replied, pointing towards a man who was leaning against the doors of a HUMVEE, taking long drags from a cigarette.

"Shit," Weinberg cursed and stormed over, "The fuck you're doing here, little shit?"

The man gave a wide grin and dropped the stub on the sand, grinding it under his feet, "Michael, it's been _years_ and you greet me like this?"

The captain rolled his eyes, "Fucking _hell_ Azazel, unless you're here to help, you shouldn't _be_ here."

That's when Sylvia realized why the man was so familiar. The description in church records were accurate. Blonde hair merged with brown, an unusual color of eyes mingling between red and brown, the goatee that covered the tip of his chin, even his nonchalant attitude was on point. "Of course I'm here to help! Joshua asked me to do so, yaknow?"

Silence. Complete and utter silence save for the glare wishing death at the receiver that emanated from Weinberg's eyes.

"Ah, where are my manners?" Azazel said, and faced Sylvia. "You're Sylvia Lyyneheym, one of the best exorcists ever had by the church, alongside Siegfried and Dulio. Glad to meet you, I'm Azazel and this is Michael Weinberg Odes, and I guess he _still_ goes by Michael Weinberg."

Sylvia nodded, "An honor to meet you, the church described your appearance as so, but your personality rather...differently."

He brushed his hair behind his ear and shrugged, "Not surprised, the church isn't a savory character most of the time."

"Alright," Weinberg cut in and gestured, "Fuck you too. You're joining us, then, Azazel."

But even as he turned away, Sylvia saw his small grin. Azazel winked and leaned in. "He acts pissed all the time, but he's hands down one of the best people you can know. Anyway, you're lucky to have him as your team leader."

He ran to catch up with Weinberg as Sylvia joined the rest of her team. "Sergeant Campos?"

The man looked up, his green eyes raising slightly as he straightened up from moving a container of food supplies, "Ms. Lyyneheym. I was going to call you, MTF Kilo-Nine wanted you to join in on the expedition."

She blinked once then managed to utter, "What?"

He scoffed and smiled, "Don't what me. Irina Shoudo and Xenovia Quarta I believe were their names. We had a joint meeting and came to a conclusion that support team members would be useful joining the main expedition into the tunnels of 1730, many of the members, including those two, wanted you to join Weinberg."

He hefted up a backpack, along with armor, and waved to a rack of weapons, "So, gear up."

She grinned and nodded, eager to join her former teammates before being transferred to Team Helios. Once she felt ready, Daniel nodded and pointed to the backpack, "Inside is enough supplied for half the squad for 2 days, Jemson has the other half. Both of you also have enough ammunition to fight a continuous battle for a few hours, so it'll be pretty fucking heavy. Jemson has some extra ammo, not as much as you, but he has all the medical supplies, so be sure to not lose each other."

Sylvia laughed, and was handed a helmet, "Standard helmet, but upgraded communications, very unlikely to lose contact with us, even _**if**_ the location is still an anomaly."

She held it gingerly, staring at the tinted visor.

"It's decades ahead of the previous variants, we've been testing on various methods of communication since many anomalous objects remove communication from HQ to the team."

It seemed he took her observation as hesitation. She frantically corrected him and he grinned, slightly embarrassed. She slid on the gear and shouldered on her packback, heading towards Weinberg as he finished checking radio and the connection to command.

Jemson strolled up beside her and nodded, then gave a thumbs up to Weinberg as the captain counted heads. Satisfied, he led the way down as the rest of the Foundation operatives settled for making camp aboveground.

Not long after the only things illuminating the path ahead were the headlamps attached to the helmets, Weinberg shining the dirt ahead while the five behind kept a light consistently lit on the walls and ceiling.

Two men kept a constant watch on the back of the entire expedition, making sure the entire force of twenty plus Foundation member's weren't wiped out from an ambush.

The descent was narrow, the corridor barely fitting two men side-by-side, with no sounds but crunching of dirt and the occasional sitrep from Weinberg to the base, just the hollow clopping of boots on stone and steel.

Eventually, the path widened exponentially, spitting them out into a corridor that was approximately a 3 meter cube. "We're now in a three by three by three room."

 _[Acknowledge, we're receiving the feed. According to the floor plan from the previous records, you should be at a underground offloading area. The garage door on your ten is where the imports come in. That should be none of our concern.]_

"So we're going for the singular door at the right then?" Weinberg had turned towards the standard-sized, blue door and away from the massive white wall.

 _[Affirmative. Take caution, according to Samsara, you'll be entering a cognitohazardous lake. You know the drill.]_

Silence for a short moment, causing the command to repeat the statement. Weinberg finally replied, "Yeah, I needed to remember which it was. Understood."

 _[Lose nobody.]_

"Cannot guarantee that, command."

They didn't respond and simply cut the call.

Weinberg turned to the group and removed his helmet, "Alright scrubs, here's what's going to happen here. We're entering a high fatality zone, and you heard base. The whole area coming up is a congnitohazard. It's powerful and you _will_ need to resist it to the best of your ability.

"Normally, we're all fucked already, cause we're deep within the 'deceased' range, but this variant seems to be a weaker one, so we're fine. Some of you may be familiar with it already from a previous deployment. If not, you'll know exactly what it is very soon. To everyone who has not a whit what I'm saying, when we go through that door, tell yourself in your head, 'I do not recognize the bodies in the water.'

"Understood?" He had pushed through to address them all, as a professor would at a lecture hall, "Tell yourself that. Repeat that as if a mantra. I do not recognize the bodies in the water. Again and _**again**_. If you have to, say it aloud. I do not recognize the bodies in the water. Say it with me."

He repeated it and only few joined it. Weinberg cursed loudly, "Fucking _**say it.**_ Your _lives_ depend on this phrase. I don't give a flying fuck you sound like children repeating after me. You're dead if you don't follow my steps."

Weinberg said the phrase again, everyone being compliant. They went round again and again, ingraining the statement for five minutes straight. She felt silly, they all did, but she was unnerved by Weinberg's piercing eyes holding a gaze could murder.

"Remember, no matter what, you don't recognize the bodies in the water." He pulled on his helmet and spoke, "Telemetry check."

 _[Same as before.]_ The base responded a beat after. _[No change since initial check. Ready?]_

"I am."

 _[Proceed.]_

Sylvia was among the last to enter, and was greeted by a beautiful, misty lake, the water a nice, pure gray that reflected the facility walls around them, fog drifting over the surface peacefully. Rocks jutted from under the surface, making few platforms and jagged stalagmites.

After the first twenty two went, she waded in. She felt the water make way for her boots, and even through the leather-like material she felt the chill from the low temperatures. It made her glad the boots went halfway up to her knees.

That wishfulness was shattered when she saw Weinberg just barely out of sight from the fog nearly waist deep. She shuddered as she hated wet clothing articles and undergarments, if a torture method was effective for her, it was to drench her, fully clothed, in cold water then let her dry.

It wasn't long before she saw the bodies, some floating facedown, others face up. Few had their heads turned towards her, and her vision became off-focused.

 _She knew them_.

But she didn't recognize the bodies in the water. It was impossible.

 _Wrong, she did. They went to the same highschool as she._

She didn't recognize the bodies in the water. No, it had to be an anomaly, it explained why those facing her seemed to call to her most.

 _The Foundation is cold, lying to her. She had to be with them. She_ _ **knew**_ _them._

"I do not recognize the bodies in the water."

The words helped some, but not much. She waded further into the lake, trying to say the words again but failing.

 _The Foundation knows the truth and abandoned them. They will abandon her too._

She turned towards the side.

 _She had to go to them, join them before the Foundation took away this chance._

Sylvia saw a man wading into the lake, towards the bodies and felt a hand on her shoulder.

She looked up and saw Irina frantic, panicking, "We have to help him!"

Weinberg shouted from the front, voice tinny and distant, "Do _**not**_ help them. They are a lost cause and you'll join them in the waters if your pursue."

"We have to _try,_ " Irina pressed, and Sylvia's mind cleared, the europhobic feeling passing, "He won't know."

The man moved slowly, seemingly stuck in mud. Sylvia tread forward, Irina following shortly after. Nobody chase them, called to them. She looked back and the operatives were ignoring her, purposefully striding through the path.

She moved quickly, surprised at the progress she made with Irina. Shortly after, they were side-by-side with the man and grabbed his arms. He fought and shouted, begging, sobbing.

His words were incomprehensible, but she heard traces of "them," "children," "crying."

They barely made it back, the man slowing their progress heavily. "You don't recognize them," Irina spoke firmly as they make it back to the line. "Let's go."

"We need to _**save**_ them!" He cried. Sylvia flinched and turned back, towards the bodies, she...didn't recognize them. She couldn't.

They made it to the opposite side of the room, and the man curled up after removing his helmet and tossing it aside.

She saw the sheen of sweat on the young man's face. The red eyes and the running snot. He glanced up at her and turned away, staring at the waters. Weinberg strode up to Sylvia and Irina, arms crossed and apparently furious. "I said not to stray."

Irina got up from her sitting position, defiant, but Weinberg held up a hand, "Nothing wrong with what you did, in fact, I thank you. But you put your lives in danger. It's extremely conflicting here in the Foundation. I admire what you did, but you can't toss your lives away like that. In our line of work, you value your life over others. Our missions need as much manpower as we can. Just remember that, okay?"

Sylvia watched speechless as he knelt down and sat in front of the man, "Still never forgot them, eh?"

The man avoided his gaze, silently breathing as he looked at the foggy-eyed corpses floating along at the surface.

"Those were good kids. A tragedy. Just remind yourself, that if you join them in these waters, you will never see them again, you won't ever find another life to apologize to them."

"Yes sir," the man replied blankly and shut his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, kid." Weinberg said softly, "This SCP is one of the most dangerous locations. What it tells you is hard to resist. If you want to make it up to me, just learn to resent it and its existence."

"Understood," he replied and turned to Sylvia and Irina as he reached for his helmet. When he picked it up, he gave a sad smile, "Thank you two. I owe you my life."

Putting it on, he jogged ahead to join the rest of the expedition party. Weinberg groaned as he stood and watched the man leave through the door, "Eric was part of the Coast Guard and a chaperone for his son's field trip. On the way back home, a drunk driver forced the bus to fall off the bridge they were on. He only saved three kids of the class of forty, his son helped him save two more before drowning while helping the third."

With that, Weinberg stalked off, toward the crew. Irina and Sylvia have each other a cursory glance before following the captain.

They got a head count and Weinberg closed his eyes when he counted five missing people. Two from his team, three from the second team.

Xenovia walked over to them, tapping her sheathed sword as she pushed the rifle out of the way, "I'm glad you guys made it. I didn't even realize you two were gone."

Irina smiled sadly, "We were fine."

"What if you weren't?" Xenovia asked, worry clearly in her voice. "I don't know what you see as benefits from this organization," she continued, "It's a dark, _dark_ group of people.

"They are humans, and they're messing with entities that aren't supposed to be tampered by humans."

Irina shook her head, "No. You're right, but you're wrong. _**None**_ of this belongs on Earth, we shouldn't be seeing any of this. _However_ , these people are good people. They are dedicated and honorable men and women. They put their own lives on the line, very much like the three of us, handling and protecting those who cannot defend themselves from these.

"They do it efficiently, and more importantly, ethically. They're trained to do their job, and they are excellent at it." Irina's eyes narrowed, "I respect them, and see them more structured than even the Church."

Xenovia took a step back as Irina turned around and sighed, "But I don't like being sent out on all these missions. All these... _ **SCPs**_ are just so unnerving. I can't stand it."

Xenovia was about to speak up, but closed her mouth when Weinberg came within arm's length, "We're all ready to move out, you three women good to go?"

Irina nodded, with Xenovia reluctantly following suit. Sylvia opened her mouth but felt the pack on her back, "May I have a moment to check inventory?"

Weinberg raised an eyebrow and nodded assent, "Good call, what's the other man's name? Jemson?"

"Jordan Jemson," Sylvia confirmed. Weinberg smiled slightly and turned away.

"I'll have him check his, we'll move out when he's done if that's fine with you?"

"Certainly," Sylvia replied, "I should be done by then."

Nothing was amiss, all edibles were still sealed, all medical items dry, and all equipment was untouched. She had zipped up and reshouldered the pack when half a dozen Foundation members took the rear guard. Within the next minute, they were moving.

The vanguard moved ahead entirely undisturbed, there were no SCPs, zombies, unstable areas, no anomalies of any sort. The entire trip descending was plagued with nothing.

No bodies were found so far, despite the report stating four dozen civilians, which is supposed to be good news, but she heard fleeting mutterings from the team that this location used to house a dangerous facility.

If it were true, it was mysterious that there were no corpses found yet. Not to mention that the initial exploration team still hadn't responded to any communications yet.

Equipment and live recordings hint they are still alive, but it was unknown why they refused to respond.

The base chalked it up to equipment malfunction, but knowing that this exploration team was still in perfect contact with the team aboveground and the base, it wasn't a malfunction for sure.

Surprisingly, these tunnels were pristine, despite being under an abandoned facility for possibly a decade. No peeling paint, no leaking pipes, no mold, no dust.

It took a predictable roundabout repeat of sitreps for over half an hour marching through the tunnels before Weinberg found the first corpse.

"Foundation member. I see the gear and weapon."

 _[Caution, Captain. You remember the site.]_

"Yes, I know. Approaching now. " He turned around and gestured to a member of the second team holding a double barrel with a duckbill attached. "There's some fucked up shit from this anomaly in the previous encounter. I don't know what to expect from this, but if in the case I'm being fucked, don't hesitate to shoot me."

The man recoiled and began to object, "But sir-"

"Don't argue. Just fucking shoot."

 _[Follow his orders, soldier.]_

The man hesitated for a moment too long and Weinberg shook his head, waving over a second man, "Ivan."

Sylvia suspected he meant the Russian, who came forward and took the shotgun from the man's hands. He aimed at the corpse as Weinberg edged closer and closer, step by step before grabbing the helmet and slowly pulling it off.

The woman's head fell off to the side, dried blood making a trail down her chin. Weinberg inspected the inside of the helmet and handed it to Ivan, who ran a gloved finger along the bottom and back while Weinberg cut the body armor and felt the fabric uniform underneath. "There are signs of bullet entry, but I have a feeling it isn't the cause of death."

 _[So we agree. Eyes open and keep going. We'll watch the path with you.]_

"Cool, how about Cassidy?"

 _[...We'll consider retrieving the bodies, but it's unlikely we can. If you're up for carrying her up, feel free to do so, but we don't know if the Gatekeepers are even alive at this point, and there were a dozen of them. That brings your manpower down to half if you want to retrieve all the bodies, and makes your expedition twice as vulnerable.]_

The captain nodded and made his choice, laying the Foundation member on her back and put back on her helmet, placing her hands on her stomach. He got back up and retrieved his UMP from Ivan as the Russian returned the shotgun to the previous member.

They moved on. Some reluctant now compared to before, some _**even more**_ reluctant than before. Sensing the disturbance of morale, Weinberg actually paused and turned around. "Alright. That's it. I want to know now how many of you actually want to be here."

Nobody raised their hand, to which he nodded. "Who doesn't mind being here?"

Half raised their hand and Sylvia saw it was all from his team. He scoffed and shook his head. "Never mind," Weinberg looked at the second team, "I know you guys aren't accustomed to this. You mainly do urban hunt for anomalies. Never have you actually ventured underground to a location like this for one. Those of you who wish to stick behind and watch our backs, you may. Unfortunately for you, we can't leave yet. It's not a good plan to do."

There was silence, the team unsure on how to respond. "I should have known that drawing from the closest responding team was a bad idea. Let's stop right here for now and set up a camp instead. We got ourselves a good number of rooms to use and fortify, especially with the junk lying around."

Half his team split up, Ivan Volanski, Julia Hernandez, and Frank Sosa joining him. Lyynesta Hollis, Yukki Hoffman, Eric Nelson, Jacob White, and Siegfried stayed behind. Jemson split from the group and joined the four. "We'll go ahead, see if we can find anything of interest, threat or not. Everyone else, just set up camp and we'll meet you in a couple of hours."

Sylvia turned to Irina who had an eyebrow raised and immediately realized she didn't see Siegfried at all yet. The flashlights of the five men and women combined vanished into the darkness ahead, and the remaining ones set about looking for anything that can be used.

They managed to find some construction lights, lanterns, and canned food left behind in a few rooms and set those up to shine into the darkness of the corridors. Sylvia shrugged off her backpack and unloaded its contents in the room she was in.

Lyynesta came over silently, poring over the supplies before giving a thoughtful hum and walking out, "You can leave them there, we'll keep this room protected. Come, we'll need more hands setting up everything."

The visible corridor was easily the size of a football field, the team noting there were two doors every five yards, in a consistent pattern, lining down the length of the place. They set out finding shelves and tables to shove and tangle down the place to create a choke point, the place they held down around twenty yards long. Finding some sandbags in few rooms that seemed to be used as a location for a last stand, the team added them onto the fortifications to create an extra layer.

Lyynesta and Eric managed to split the teams to occupy two rooms opposite of each other right on the edge of the wall, but one being one door behind the other. Further exploration showed that all the rooms had two door exits and this specific location seemed to be a recreation area of sorts, though why it was miles underground the previous(now cratered) location was a mystery to her.

Sylvia saw Azazel mingling with the teams, his brown suit and khaki loafers completely out of place between all the uniforms of the Foundation team, but nobody seemed to mind, or at least was bothered enough to bring it up. He even spoke and pointed out a few things to many of the members while they prepared the area.

He wasn't demanding or overbearing, rather cautious and thoughtful in his suggestions. When he made recommendations, he brought up a way to fix the problem, and debated with the members if his solution was workable.

The conversations were never long, and soon enough, the first team were finally situated. They had the corners occupied, their M60's resting on the sandbags, the stock resting on their knee as the barrel pointed up. Another had a M60 while sitting on the left side of the entrance, one oddball used a Degtyaryov, letting the plates lean against the sandbag as he took a long drag from his cigarette.

She sidestepped and slipped through the Foundation members, finding her way over to Siegfried. He caught sight of her, although her purple hair to be specific, as she walked under a cone of light and stopped his conversation briefly. Sylvia soon saw that this was where Irina and Xenovia had vanished off to while the team was situating themselves at this spot.

"Yo."

"Siegfried, over here," Irina cut in before Sylvia could reply. "You can't seriously think of leaving the Foundation just as you please."

Siegfried's eyes darkened and he turned back to Irina while Sylvia took a step forward. She knew that look all to well and had seen Ethan suffer from an escalation. "The church and Foundation made it plainly clear that this is all a phase. When Sakamoto and I were going through the Foundation's conditioning, they stated we can file a resignation at any time."

Irina was clearly annoyed at the reply, "I heard that answer from you so many times already, why need you say that for the third time?"

He was silent, simply glaring down at her. She gave a soft sigh and Sylvia could hear the suppressed growl of anger. "Never mind, I remembered your nonsensical dream of being one of the strongest humans."

"Being here is holding me back."

Irina pursed her lips and nodded, "Fine. So be it. I'm not going to say anything more."

Siegfried nodded and walked away, towards a position where he was isolated from the Foundation members, but close enough to give them help if they need it.

Irina tried to speak to Sylvia, but she was interrupted when Weinberg came on the communications system.

 _[Test twenty-two, respond.]_

Sylvia heard Lyynesta reply after a second.

 _[_ _Tau-Niner Beta. Alpha?_ _]_

 _[About fucking time. Some shit is up with this place, I'm completely wrong when I said this place is inert. Keep your guard up, we're coming back up. Will tell you when we're there. Found an SCP down here too. Long story, but we're all fine.]_

 _[_ _Roger that._ _]_

At Lyynesta's reply, she saw everyone perform a check of their weapons another time and move to various positions at sandbags. Azazel himself sat down beside the man with the Degtyaryov and started a conversation as he leaned against the sandbags.

Sylvia sat down beside Irina, who was seated next to someone in her task force, and leaned back.

She quickly put on her helmet and gave it a tap, bringing up a time inside the visor, it was 11:14 PM, maybe enough time for a quick nap. Removing it, she has just as she closed her eyes when Irina nudged her, "Hey."

Sylvia glanced over. Irina was looking at Siegfried expressionlessly. "What do you think of how your team is doing right now?"

"What are you talking about?"

Irina faced Sylvia, "You know, how Freed moved to work for Valper, Jeanne is distant and planning on leaving the church. How about you three in the Foundation right now?"

She didn't know how to reply. "Dunno. Everyone in the Foundation is so secretive. Every piece of information is basically locked behind levels of clearance. You'd think they'd trust their employees, but it seems that's not the case."

Irina emitted a thoughtful sound, "I've heard from the people in my team that the Captain is tied with a dangerous...what do they call them? SCP?"

Sylvia nodded.

"SCP. As in, if you even know its name, you're now officially under its domain." Irina looked over at Lyynesta, who was staring down the hall, seated beside one of the Foundation members with their machine guns. "The more people who know its name, the stronger it gets. Rumors go that way anyway."

Sylvia saw lights bobbing down the corridor and stood, along with most of the employees seated. "Here they are."

Through the rustling of fabrics and sound of guns being moved, Sylvia counted four people. All accounted for. Lyynesta jerked her head to Jacob, who jogged ahead.

There was something nagging her mind though.

"Didn't the Captain say they found an SCP?" Irina asked. Lyynesta cursed.

"Jacob!" The man stopped, a meter away from the team, his back turned to the approaching group. "Everyone hold!"

"Captain, you read me?" Jacob was clearly concerned and now turned to face the group, backing up slowly.

"Halt!" One Foundation employee shouted, the group approached, as if they didn't hear.

" _Captain_ ," Lyynesta's voice was full of concern.

Jacob turned off the safety and so did everyone in the two MTFs available.

 _[Did I not fucking say...]_

Weinberg's voice was tired, clearly fatigued. He didn't answer for a few seconds before he came back on, this time clearly.

 _[I'll contact you when we're there. This fucking place is falling apart, taking us more time going up than coming down.]_

"We got four suspicious individuals. Matching your appearance."

Silence, Sylvia assumed he cursed off the radio. The group stopped. Sylvia saw that their looks were exact copies of Weinberg and the three that went down.

 _[Stall. We'll do our best to make it up. ETA ten minutes, think you can handle it?]_

 _[MOBILE TASK FORCE TAU-NINER, YOU COPY? COUNT THIRTY!]_

 _[We copy base.]_

 _[You've got a problem. We were monitoring Captain Weinberg ever since you guys set up. Then we lost connection as Weinberg breached through a door. Assumed he was dead until we noti-]_

 _[Cut to the chase, Tau-Niner Beta is facing potential anomalies.]_

They seemed to have switched screens to the cameras to the larger team.

 _[Holy shit. They are_ _ **not**_ _Weinberg. He's at least four minutes out. Don't kill. We don't know what's going on, and I don't want these guys causing the death of the captain. Contacting containment team now. They'll be with you guys within the hour.]_

No sooner did they finish did Lyynesta shout, "We'll give you one chance. Stand down and don't make any sudden movements."

The Weinberg faced her, "Master Sergeant?"

She frowned, "Motherfuckers, who do you think you are?"

They immediately realized their mistake. "Lyynesta, think you could have everyone put their guns down? We'd like to get out of this place."

"No can do. On your knees."

"This is a warning, Master Sergeant."

"Good, that's the first warning in the two decades I've served with you. Knees. Last chance." They didn't make an intent to get down. They continued to step forward as if a firing squad wasn't just in front of them.

"And the SCP you had?" The group didn't answer for a bit, and the Weinberg sighed, "I was hoping it'll be easy for us."

Jacob's head was cut off instantaneously as he fired a burst, which blew off the head of one of the four anomalies and that was Sylvia realized he had reacted faster than anyone in the entire force combined.

Before he even went down, the Weinberg's limbs elongated and snapped like whips at the Foundation employees, but rather than being simple flesh and bone, they were sharper, weapons, not just simple limbs.

One man was beheaded and a woman had her arm sheared off at the forearm when she raised her arm to block the limb out of reflex.

The second one alive was quick, nimble, he clearly saw the bullets flying at him and evaded them all with ease, contorting whenever necessary. He ducked and weaved and scrambled up onto the heads of Foundation members, twisting the helmets to snap heads or ripping them off the shoulders. It soon became apparent shooting it was futile.

Sylvia frantically tried to think of a way to handle it, but ducked behind a sandbag, hearing the M60s and DP-27 go off in the back. A snap went her way then the sound of whips vanished. She peeked over the edge to see one machine gunner dead, and the second wounded, but the other two mowed down the false Weinberg. Turning her attention to the second, she was ready to run to the man stumbling with over two hundreds pound of flesh hanging off his torso when there was an explosion.

The Foundation member had pulled the pin off a grenade and shoved it into the teeth of the anomaly.

That explained why the man wasn't dead the moment it leaped on him.

Sylvia's breath shook as she laid down her weapon, then a horrible thought clicked just as the silence laid on the floor, _Where's the third one?_

"BACK!" Azazel's voice boomed off the walls, as Weinberg came up, their lights shining down the hall and clicked off at the lights from the fortification. "Hazel jump forward!"

The woman he was shouting at screamed as her body fell through the floor from her shadow, shearing into bits as she didn't have a chance to fight Her voice was cut off not a second later. The third anomaly disappeared again.

Sylvia stood up and an uneasy feeling shivered through her spine. She ducked and rolled forward just as she saw the anomaly reach out from the wall at her while Azazel shouted at Sylvia. A spear impaled its temple, punching through to the opposite side, and multiple more spears went through as it tried to drag itself back into the solid, piercing its neck and ramming down between the shoulder blades.

A couple more slid between its ribs before it stopped and slumped towards the ground, gravity pulling it, but its partial absorbance into the wall preventing it from actually touching floor.

Azazel dropped down and caught Sylvia's eye, nodding when he saw she was unharmed.

The most prominent sense that filled the room was the blood. Blood and a trace of explosives, there was far less air as iron danced about, emanating from the pools of blood and wafting off the blood splattered on the walls.

Weinberg was half-carrying Frank as he approached the lead anomaly. He glanced down at the tattered corpse then at Azazel, "I think I've seen better days."

Weinberg immediately dismissed the corpse, "How many casualties?"

Sylvia stepped back from Weinberg and went to get a body count with those remaining. Of MTF Tau-Nine, only Jacob and Yukki were killed. Of MTF Kilo-Nine, over half were killed, leaving seven left. When she realized his absence, she winced inwardly about telling Daniel that Jemson was dead too.

Sylvia looked around for Irina when the death of Jemson occurred to her. She frantically sought out those kneeling, the one man others tending to the wounded. Until she saw her standing up, hands on her hips.

She noticed Xenovia sitting on the ground, cross-legged as she stared at the body of someone vaguely familiar.

Sylvai couldn't help but watch, even when Weinberg had clasped her shoulder and said, "Please check for wounded. Xien can't do it all himself."

But there was no work for her to do. Xien had checked every body already, and all were dead except for two, who were lucky because they only lost a chunk of an ear and a hand combined. The rest were clearly dead, from their heads twisted and stretching from the lack of bone connection or portions of their torso removed.

A slaughter.

She stood behind Irina as Weinberg was making no progress with Xenovia, "She didn't have to die."

"Nobody had to die, but we had deaths anyway. Why do you think we scoff at the Church's silly practices? You're all simply humans in the end wielding glorified weapons against anomalies. You may think you stand a chance, but you're fighting the low tiered threats. Get up, we need to leave."

"Who do you hire to sacrifice?"

Weinberg seemed annoyed, "We hire from all over the world. GIGN, the French Foreign Legion, Special Forces, Kopassus, we don't discriminate. We even take from the normal infantry, as long as anyone is capable."

Xenovia seemed to think of a reply, but Weinberg added, "You think we're incompetent. Shit like this happens, but it isn't a daily occurence. Tell me how you and your exorcists will react to them. From what I can tell, one was swinging his fucking arms all over the damn place, one was able to disappear into solid surfaces, and the third was a fucking monkey. Tell me what _**you're**_ able to do that we can't? Could you and your exorcist forces have taken these guys down in mere minutes with your weaponry? Your swords? Guns?

"The Church doted on all of you. Toted you around as the best. So far none of the Foundation can agree that the exorcists do everything better than we do. In some portions, yes, I'll admit that much. Some of you are great operatives, but a majority aren't. And from I see before me, you aren't one of the better ones. Get up."

Xenovia stood, hatred in her eyes as she glared at Weinberg. The man made no further comment and only returned the gaze. "Where and when can I leave the Foundation?"

Weinberg nodded, accepting her decision, "As soon as we get back. MTF Kilo-Nine can't be going anywhere anytime soon, so you'll have plenty of time to leave. Just speak to Ling'er. Hold on, let me see if she's alive."

He called to her on the comms and a Foundation member came over, removing her helmet as both she and Weinberg removed their helmets, "Alive, like usual."

"The Heavenly One still hates me," she shot back without a missing a beat. "And cruel as ever. What is it?"

She tugged at a bandage wrapped around her arm as Weinberg gave out the case. She understood, "Ms. Quarta, seek me out when we're back on Site. I'll let you know the process."

The woman turned to Irina, "And you, Ms. Shoudo?"

She noted Weinberg's quick look of confusion, and addressed the issue, "The two are Team Duo because they are inseparable."

Sylvia waited anxiously for Irina's answer. She watched as bodies were carried away and closed up in body bags, limbs and other dismembered parts were tossed into one collective bag.

"I'll...go with Xenovia," Irina shut her eyes as she gave the answer. She clearly didn't want to leave, but her ties to Xenovia was preventing her from staying. "But I'll send an application requesting to be in the joint programs with the Foundation. I think you guys helping us will be better than sticking with pure Church programs."

Weinberg put out a hand to Kilo-Nine's team leader and said, "So, that's that. All yours to handle now."

"Ass," Jing'er replied as Weinberg walked away.

Sylvia noticed that Weinberg had brought out a marked body bag and began storing the anomalies inside them, including any parts that had been thrown away from the main body. Irina nudged Sylvia in the ribs as Weinberg glanced up at her. "Let's go, everyone's leaving now."

"Wait," Sylvia replied and caught Weinberg's attention.

"Yeah?"

"What will you do with the bodies?" Sylvia pointed to the hazmat colored body bags.

"They'll be sent directly to the scientist teams at various sites," he replied, "depending on their specialty. I have no clearance to tell you which sites they're going to, but none will be transported to Site 16."

"And this place?"

"What about it? I doubt we can nuke this place, not to mention that is a stupid idea," he scoffed.

"We haven't fully explored it yet, right? We still found no civilians we were sent out to find," she pressed, "Why are we leaving?"

Weinberg shook his head, "Technically, we found one, this SCP. Long story, but we'll get the full one upon returning on site and done with the interrogation. The expedition is not our job anymore, base contacted the captains of all the squads on a more private channel, Tau-Nine and Kilo-Nine are to withdraw. While you guys were cut off, they concluded this place is still an anomaly. Some signs are classified as cognitohazards and the place still hold some of the properties of Site 13.

"We don't have the equipment for that, and Kilo-Nine _definitely_ does not have the equipment for that job. Zeta-Nine, the Mole Rats, are the ones needed to be sent on this job, and they are now. They're the most experienced with exploring anomalous structures, and despite the losses they've suffered a while back, they're back on their feet."

Sylvia couldn't find any way to argue with that and slowly nodded, turning at the sound of boots on metal, the containment team finally arriving, the size of a platoon, with a squad of a clearly marked MTF team behind them, who Sylvia assumed to be the Mole Rats.

"Captain," the captain of the containment team approached Weinberg, "You stated we were needed?"

"Yeah," Weinberg jerked his head to the anomaly stuck in the wall. "And there's still a few branches unexplored. We'll need to take a look at that."

"What the fuck? Not the worst I've seen, but shit you're right when we needed the Vagene Opener."

He waved to Sylvia, Irina, and the lingering Foundation members, "Best you leave now. You are not cleared to be present."

"And you?"

Weinberg shrugged, "Not sure. Jing'er and I have to stick with these guys until they've finished. Just let Hollis and Matthew get you back to base."

"Bu-"

"That is an order," Weinberg creased his eyebrows. "Get moving."

Sylvia let out a breath and took a step back from Weinberg before turning around and heading up the stairs after Irina. Before she left, she saw a man carrying down a box the size of a duffel bag, she thought she heard noises coming from within, but he jogged out of sight to join the rest of the platoon of containment teams.

* * *

 **Interviewed:** SCP-507

 **Interviewer:** ███, will be referred to as ███

 **Foreword:** This is the first official log concerning SCP-507. Retrieved ███ km south of the US-Mexican border at the former location of SCP-1730. Discovered and retrieved from the location by Cpt. ████████ of MTF ███-██, the subject was brought onto Site-██ for the interview. [DATA EXPUNGED]

 **-Begin Log-**

███ _ **:**_ **"Shall we start?"**

507: "Sure."

███ _ **:**_ **"You know we can't let you leave, right?"**

507: "I guessed that already, since you blindfolded me and brought me here."

███ _ **:**_ **"How long have you been in the asylum?"**

(Subject thought for a second)

507: "Nearly 20 years. This year would have been the eighteenth if...what's his name? Michael? If Michael didn't find me in that place. I might have been free, in fact."

(███ gave a noise, apparently in thought)

███: **"Perhaps. Who knows. Were you the only person who descended in that place?"**

507: "Err...no. I uh, just wanna say I didn't mean to do anything illegal-"

███: **"Might I add you inadvertently did by teleporting out of the asylum, therefore-."**

507: "Not my fault I enter another dimension on occasion! Anyway, I think you'd rather hear what happened."

███: **"Correct."**

507: "So after I managed to get back, I found myself like, _waaaay_ outside of the asylum. I didn't exactly know where I was and where to go. That was when I ran into a few families. Luckily, they spoke a language I understood, kind of..."

███: **"Which was?"**

507: "Huh? Oh, Spanish. Soon I realized I was at the northern portion of Mexico, and they were all heading to the US. I kinda went with them considering I had no other option. I don't think you're too much into the details on the trip, but to cut it short, nothing happened except we ran into border guards and had to book it another way. Ended up finding the underground place your organization went to.

"We hid down there and heard a few border guards begin entering a little after. Probably after half an hour? Nowhere to run, and not willing to get caught, we pushed further in. I think we lost them after some time, though I can't really say with that place. As I told Michael, I don't recognize the path he took upwards to bring me here.

"We kept hearing them running after us, so we eventually broke into a room to hide in. A few, actually. I got in the first with the others and they shut the door on the others, turned to a 'every man for himself' kind of situation. I don't know what the other doors contained, but I heard one man open a door and let out...who _knows_ what. All we heard was screaming and guns firing from the border guards. This went on for a minute at most and we're all just so afraid to open the doors.

(Subject took a few breaths and ███ waited patiently as he gathered his thoughts)

507: "One family and their kid eventually got hungry, so we went out, since we had nothing to eat in the room we hid in. Nor to drink. And hours had passed, all we had to do was pray we get out of that place. So we left, and blood was everywhere, on the walls, ceiling, and bodies were just ripped apart. I picked up a rifle from one of the border guards and found out it was useless, bent beyond belief. What was out there was _not_ human. Luckily I found one gun undamaged, but that border guard..."

(Subject shivered and ███ did not inquire further)

507: "We went looking for a way out. We managed to get to an intersection, and actually found some survivors, but they weren't who they seemed. The leader of my group started speaking to them, but he figured out something was wrong. That was when those...those _things_ showed its true form. I booked it out of there and found the biggest door I could find. Locked myself inside as everyone was being mauled by them. I never walked out of that room again. I didn't want to. Not sure what sick god favored me, but I found myself inside a warehouse of some sort. Tools, weapons, equipment, medical supplied, even non-perishables. That's where I stayed for a week...I think. I didn't really keep track of time. Thought I'd die there until you guys picked me up, and you know the rest."

███: **"Interesting. We'll need more on the location and its...** _ **occupants**_ **, later today. We have a team going down and fully exploring the place, so your information will be useful."**

507: "I don't know much though..."

███: **"All information is treated with high regards, no matter how small its informant believes. I don't really wish to give you false hopes or entice you, but we will repay you for your compliance."**

507: "I-Oh sure, why not?"

 **-End Log-**

 **Closing Statements:** According to subject, [DATA EXPUNGED]. MTF ████-██ used the information to their advantage. Area is more accessible with the released threats neutralized, thanks to the assistance of subject. Containment teams and other MTFs are now able to explore freely the depths of SCP-1730. More anomalies were noted in locked rooms and laboratories (some were breached and the MTFs utilized hostile action to clear the locations). Conclusions were made that these were recently and consistently used, even after the neutralization and evacuation of SCP-1730. No names of its user were recovered and its utiliser is still to be discovered.

However, stolen papers(from previous areas being secured) were at these laboratories and the Foundation has recovered these documents(now under tighter security). One set of documents were apparently from a base utilized by the ███████████████████ from a base of operations at Tunguska River by Team Helios on a biological weapon mean to be utilized by the organization mentioned above. This facet was reviewed and confirmed with two members of Team Helios, Private ████████ and Support Member █████████. The papers were allegedly stolen by █████████████, a member of the Church. This fact is not proven nor disproven, however, Private ████████ is certain that the Church head is the last person to have had access to these notes. He cannot ascertain if it was passed to different hands.

According to the Private, the Church head is well-known to have performed questionable experiments before, a statement vouched by the laboratories, the Church, and recovered documents. The suspect is now under tighter scrutiny and not to be offered any access to any anomalies.

* * *

 **Now Closing File 4**

* * *

 **A/N: Finals are finished! I'm now officially a free man for a month! Not, I have a lot to do during this Winter Break. Don't expect any chapters to be released within the next month or two.** **Since it has been a bit, I'll let you guys know just some info on what's coming up. This is kinda a pivot chapter.**

 **The team will be splitting up once the Foundation finally enters Kuoh. Well, more specifically, they're walking their separate ways once the Foundation is finished with their business at Kuoh. How many chapters will that be? Not sure. I will end on the Kokabiel arc, and be starting the arc a bit differently than what canon DxD has done.  
**

 **I would also like to do give a shoutout to Nexus Prime for helping me come up with a few ideas on how to depict the huge problems between the Church and Foundation's preparation methods for containing and/or engaging various SCPs, along with mixing Hero Faction with the Global Occult Coalition and "brand new" anomalies that have not been classified as an SCP yet.**

 **Reviews:**

 **Aquaticmammals: Unlikely I'll use it, but giving it a read, would be a good thing to steal from the Foundation(of course, if you're successful ;P) to use against...anyone basically**

 **BartGirl: You're not supposed to.** **Per terms of Foundation procedure, if you do, you're to be drowned in most powerful amnestics in their possession. I never said anything, aight? ;)**

 **Guest: Thanks, really appreciate the words of encouragement!  
**

 **Yup, those numbers are pulled out of my ass, but I am aiming at a** _ **very**_ **low percentile because of the reasons you have listed. I will include the GOC, for sure. They are very likely to work in tandem with Cao Cao(** to work with later **), so do look forward to that. And thanks for the 343 suggestion. Opened up so many more paths for me to explore and connect the SCP canon with DxD!**

 **Mogami Kumagawa: Yee buddy! The ball will keep rolling for some time. It won't slow until a while down the road, since the Foundation isn't likely an organization to give you much breaks outside of your normal sleep hours. The forces of Heaven frowning upon SCPs is likely, but I have a whole "lore-like" explanation down the line.** _ **Very**_ **down the line. They won't approve, but hopefully I'll get to what I mean by saying not everyone in Heaven will disapprove.**

 **Metastable: I have not determined that yet. Most likely when there's that field trip to Kyoto.**

 **Will just say this: SCPs have been around for millenia, and the Great War is no exception.**


	5. Kuoh

**Level 2 Access Recognized - Opening File 5: Kuoh**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: Any content and devices used from the SCP and DxD universes does not belong to me. Just the way I interpret and use them for the story. Enjoy.**

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 **Interviewed:** Field Agent █████████; will be referenced to as Honor

 **Interviewer:** Dr. ████████

 **Foreword:** ████████ is a long time field agent of the Foundation, along with the other Temporal field agents who were recruited after the war waged █████ years ago well known as the Three ███████ ████ fought between the three factions unknown to mankind( **post edit: Incorrect, unknown to most of mankind.** _ **Many**_ **exceptions** ). Subject is to have stated that ████████ ████████ has been experimenting at Kuoh, a small city in Japan, using human test subjects with highly questionable methods utilising anomalies previously unsecured by the Foundation, which corresponds to reports made by Private █████████ of Team Helios recently. The subject has requested the Foundation deploy upon Cpt. ████████ returning from the operation at ████████ near the US-Mexican border, when SCP-████ was initially recovered.

 **Begin Log**

Honor: "Look, I don't know why we need to do all of this... _recording._ "

Dr. █: "Just to keep a record. Standard procedure."

Honor: "You're all just paranoid."

Dr. █: "Predictable, yes. Heads up our asses? Yes. Surgical, why not? But not paranoid. You should know our mission, [Honor's true name is spoken here. Refer to designation]."

Honor: "Yeah, yeah. I get you all. [REDACTED]"

Dr. █: "Sir, I'd think you'd best refer to the subject as the Swordslinger."

Honor: "That-Oh, you guys are just unbelievable. _Fine!_ The _Swordslinger_ has been at Kuoh for like the last month or so, and during that time, I've seen some of the exorcists stationed at Kuoh vanish. Not kidnapped by the Factions or anything, since the Church never made a fuss, but taken by him for subjects."

Dr. █: "Two questions: You actually noticed this, and this concerns us, or you?"

Honor: "Yes, I noticed this, but only really late. Because it was supposed to concern only the Fallen Angels."

Dr. █: "I see. Elaborate."

Honor: "The disappearances would not have been a big deal at all if not for the fact that they have returned to their original stations within two weeks. I realized that at least one, and no more than three, exorcists were removed from all the locations exorcists are stationed at, and upon returning, begin telling stories of a god they learned from the 'Children of God'. Not God, god, but they're twisted and manipulated to believe that this _**One**_ is God Himself. Something I remember clearly the older generation of Foundation heads has told us to report if we ever hear of it."

Dr. █: "Hmm. I'll need to cross-reference that with the research teams on deities and religious groups and possibly RAISA. We'll respond once we get an idea of what we're supposed to deal with."

Honor: "Seriously?"

Dr. █: "Seriously. Most of the Foundation is under a 'need-to-know' basis, even the ███ themselves. I don't know this reference, but there is one team in the Foundation who definitely knows. Who we will contact once the anomaly is identified."

(A moment of scratching as Dr. █ takes a few notes)

Dr. █: "What was the name of that organization? Children of the Gods?"

Honor: "Children of God."

Dr. █: "Okay, let me run that up real quick. I'll deliver the name and hope we get a easy and high-priority match, since you're so concerned."

 _(Dr. █ gets up and leaves the table, Honor stays seated and waits for approximately ten minutes before Dr. █ returns)_

Dr. █: "You're in luck, we have a team specifically for the threat you have mentioned. Now just hope that you haven't purposefully wasted our time, since we've gotten no word from you nor the Temporals in a very long time."

Honor: "After what I have seen in that war and what anomalies you guys have worked desperately to contain, I don't wish to waste your time. Thank you."

Dr. █: "You wish to deploy with our team, or do you have your own method of returning to Kuoh?"

Honor: "I will travel with the team. Years have gone by since I spoke to ████████ last."

Dr. █: "He'll be back within the next 24 hours, hopefully. Enjoy your stay here."

 **End Log**

 **Closing Statement:** The captain of MTF Tau-Nine's Badger Squad returned to Site-██ nearly 48 hours later. Upon returning, Badger Squad is immediately deployed to Kuoh, despite the heavy losses from their operations earlier this week. Few teams were readily available to deploy with Badger Squad, MTF-██, ██, and ██ in addition to the Japanese forces ██████████████. The operation went live shortly after Badger Squad cleared the operation with the Devil Overseers of Kuoh.

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Ethan felt Irina resting her hand on his. Glancing up from his helmet, he turned his head. She was tilting her head, ponytails hanging off the right side, as she narrowed her hazel eyes at his frown.

"What's up? You can't sleep?"

Inside, apart from the two of them, the half of Badger Squad present in the vehicle were asleep, dozing softly as the vehicle bumped down the road, the other half most likely doing the same in the vehicle ahead.

"I should be asking you that," he replied. She covered her mouth as she yawned.

"I'll be fine. The church conditioned us to do continuous missions on little sleep, remember?" Ethan looked at the three Foundation members snoring softly, oblivious to the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle. "Something we could help the Foundation with, right?"

Ethan laughed and nodded, "We could."

Only the sound of the engine humming filled the cabin for a minute before Irina piped up, "You didn't answer my question, by the way."

"I got enough rest during that mission Badger Squad went on," he answered. Irina punched his arm.

"Oh man! I forgot to ask you, what happened to you back there? You _are_ part of Badger Squad, but you're the only absence on that mission."

"I-" Ethan hesitated, "I don't think you're cleared to actually know the details...sorry."

"Really?" Irina's jaw had dropped, her eyes wide in curiosity. "So you're going to leave me at a cliffhanger?"

He shrugged in response, "I really can't tell you. The fact you're leaving, or left, the Foundation made that all the more certain I can't tell you."

Irina sighed and leaned back into her seat, pouting. "Probably God's test of my willpower. I won't ask then! I promise."

Ethan couldn't help but smile and shake his head.

"I wish you didn't leave me to join Valper," Irina muttered.

"You know I don't hold the same beliefs as the Church. I didn't want that to get in the way," he pointed out. Irina sighed, and Ethan saw she was playing with her ribbon.

"Am I too shallow for feeling that that will get in our way?" Her eyes showed anxiety, regret. Irina didn't give him time to answer and leaned her head on his shoulder, shutting her eyes. Ethan didn't object and wrapped an arm around her, she soon put an arm around his waist.

He had to admit that he held a crush on her back when they were training for their assigned teams. Ethan was very close to Irina during that period, besides Xenovia, and she was close to him, but when he had the chance to move higher up by working with Valper, he immediately hopped onto that opportunity, something he regrets slightly now.

It was a decision Irina didn't want him to make. She always somehow manages to hear rumors, spoken and unspoken alike, of places, people, and objects. Valper was no exception. She warned Ethan of Valper's suspicious actions, experiments, his disregard for the Bible, and immoral ethics. She pleaded with him not to go, and she refused to work for Valper, even if she was given the opportunity Ethan was given.

He was very grateful she didn't hold it against him now.

Ethan stared at the back doors of the vehicle as it made its way past the main urban areas and towards Kuoh.

* * *

 **Level 4 Access Recognized - Opening Records of MTF Tau-9 Badger Squad Leader Michael Weinberg Odes**

Weinberg stretched at the entrance to the school known as Kuoh Academy. He turned back to face the Support Team that arrived with Badger Squad. "Prepare amnestics for administering to the civilians that have stayed behind for their extracurriculars. Secure the perimeter and check for other exits. You know the drill. We're here to pose as local authorities to the normal layman."

The sergeant of the support team nodded and spoke into the vehicle he exited. Ethan, Irina, Xenovia, Lyynesta, and Eric joined him to meet with the Maou and her sister.

There was nothing to do, no reason to dawdle, he headed directly to the building that is the meeting room of one local devil peerage, the Occult Research Club. Headed by Rias Gremory, younger sister to one of the current Maous of the Underworld.

He found an extremely young woman with silver hair down to her shoulders donning a maid's uniform. "I'll assume you're Grayfia Lucifuge, queen of the Underworld and-."

Weinberg stopped himself, remembering one fact that stood out. Grayfia Lucifuge consistently denied being married to Sirzech Lucifer, and has done everything in her power to keep her public and private life separate.

She seemed to have realized his sudden silence and bowed down to the height of his chest, "Correct. You're the representative of the Foundation, I assume?"

He nodded and held out his hand, "Michael Weinberg, leader of the Badger Squad affiliated with MTF Tau-Nine."

Grayfia gave a knowing smile, "Humble."

Weinberg understood her single word spoken and shook his head ever so slightly. Her smile didn't leave her face as she turned around, "Follow me."

He scanned the various doors of the building, average sizes, nothing notable or noticeable, he assumed they were for other purposes, considering there was a pair of doors down the hall. Weinberg stopped behind Grayfia as she knocked before entering. "Sirzechs, they are here."

Weinberg counted six faces in the room.

A seventh appeared from the kitchen, carrying a mug of hot tea. _Another young face,_ Weinberg noted. So he himself is the only one who appears to be older than his thirties. Though reading and poring through ancient records of the Archaic-Foundation, Sirzechs has made a few appearances with Grayfia. Definitely the oldest two in the room, and Weinberg the third oldest.

The question now was whether or not the younger sister was just as old.

"Lord Lucifer," Weinberg addressed as Grayfia hurried to help her husband take the tea to his seat before preparing a tray for everyone present. "I apologize for the unnoticed call, but I to had inform you of our stationing here in Kuoh before we can proceed with further actions."

"All is well, Captain," Sirzechs grinned and set down his cup. "It was wise to contact me personally, since I'm sure that Rias and her ally, Sona Sitri, would have raised an eyebrow if your organization had come here and began your sweep before leaving, all in a single night."

The younger sister spoke up, "Brother, you know these people?"

Sirzechs shook his head, "Not Captain Weinberg personally, this is the first time we have met. I _do_ know of the organization he works for though."

"And you trust them fully?" Weinberg noted that question instantly. One that was slightly paranoid and very suspicious. She wasn't used to being suddenly shoved out of full control. His eyes drifted to the Maou for his answer.

His eyes had gone distant, reminscising for a split second, his look was gone in an instant. "Of course I trust them."

Sirzechs turned back to Weinberg, "So we let you loose now?"

He shook his head, "Not yet." Weinberg stepped off to the side so Sirzechs could see Irina and Xenovia, "The Foundation escorted these two here, they want to have a word with your younger sister about a couple of missing Holy Swords. Our business is not done yet, though. While they talk to each other, would you mind if Sakamoto, Lyynesta, and I have a word with you and Grayfia?"

Rias widened her eyes when Sirzechs stood without any objections, along with Grayfia, who had come over with freshly brewed tea to set on the table. Their looks full of concern and worry.

Weinberg picked the door leading outside and held it open for everyone to pass through. Shutting it behind him, he set his hands behind his back as he glanced at the sunset, "SCP-2440 is awake. Again."

Sirzechs sighed, "That's the one about the god, right? The extra-dimensional deity?"

"Yes. The exact one you fought during that Devil Civil war."

"I was hoping he'd stay dead." Sirzechs shook his head, "So how widespread is he?"

"Not very," Weinberg replied as he unbuttoned the top button of his suit and pulled out an iPad from underneath the pristine black jacket. "Recently, we've had our countermeasure activated and he took the bait for our plan to stall his appearance."

Unlocking the device, Weinberg handed it to Sirzechs, who tilted it to allow Grayfia to read the notes.

"As you know, if the number of infected individuals exceed five hundred, 2440 is able to send out commands to everyone who knows of his existence. Through our bait, he tried his best to cause pandemonium in the Foundation. What he didn't know is that two specific groups, Joshua Odes and mine, are immune to his commands with a serum Dr. Odes has made specifically counteracting the properties of 2440. For the rest...well, they got a healthy dose of serum that would knock them out and wipe their memories of any and all properties of 2440 if he touched their consciousness. So now he's officially down to fewer than a thousand at the worst case...

"Unfortunately still within range of his third tier powers, if this is true. If we consider ourselves lucky, he's at around three hundred members, so far from a clear threat, but still a threat we need to consider."

Sirzechs nodded and read through all the logs and tests, "Few questions."

"Of course, ask ahead. You both have the right and clearance to know."

"Why have Grayfia and I not been affected."

Weinberg smiled, but he knew it was a pained one, and felt the world pressing on his shoulders further. He knew Sirzechs would ask this question, and he hoped so, to get them both to know how carefully they should act.

"Because he's forgotten about you guys. For now. He's not all-knowing, unlike some gods. He cannot actively see every viewpoint of his infected individuals. Only of those he picks and chooses as long as he knows who is infected. The Foundation has worked hard to cast all his attention to us. We can't let you forget him, because you've already seen him twice, so your knowledge is invaluable," both devils nodded once curtly.

"The second time you saw him at full force during the Three Faction War, but since your names have been altered and your appearances different, along with Foundation efforts, he's cast you both aside and thrown his hatred our way. He doesn't know who you guys are, but he might have an inkling of a feeling you guys exist. As long as you guys stay low, refuse to mention his name, or any sort of acknowledgement unless we ask you specifically to speak up, he shouldn't have an effect on you."

Sirzechs gave his first grin since the start of the conversation, "Since we all know that the population of devils can be a tide-changer."

Weinberg gave a smirk back, "Yes. And both your influences and powers." Bringing out a cellphone, he handed it to Sirzechs, "Just in case. The Foundation and the Devils have been out of touch for a while, and I'm sure it's because you haven't found any anomalies, but they'd just want a more direct way to make sure you're still alive."

Sirzechs nodded, accepted the device, and pocketed it. "So we're done?"

"I told you all you need to know for now, you know the Foundation's strict need-to-know. For now, just keep an eye out for affected individuals in the Underworld. Unlikely there is, since his influence hasn't touched it yet. Additionally, you two are the only ones alive during the time of his devil infection, but just in case.

"This is why we're here in the first place. We're hunting exorcists in this town. We've gotten wind of an individual who is a new section of Children of God and is infecting all exorcists stationed in Kuoh, and the population is ever-increasing. It's _here_ , in that academy."

"So nowhere is safe," Sirzechs growled as his eyes darkened.

"The world's never been safe," Weinberg stated, "We're all gonna be boned one day, the best the Foundation can do is delay when it happens."

"And you don't need the aid of any supernatural?" He raised an eyebrow questiongly.

"Maybe one day before, but you guys are all so far in the dark, it is pointless now. You need to catch up on a few decades of information if order to be of use for a single threat. Not to mention we have hundreds of teams to handle the few hundred of world-ending threats. We'll be fine. The Foundation's been at work for a few millenium already."

Weinberg turned around, "Something's going on inside."

Sirzechs gave Grayfia a worried glance, "Those two you left inside, they're Church members, aren't they?"

"Yeah, th-" Weinberg caught himself and let out a groan. "Gotta be fucking kidding me. Fucking kids can't even sit still and shut the fuck up for a few minutes?"

He stormed across the yard and kicked the door in, "Hey dumbasses! The fuck you think you're doing?"

Xenovia had her weapon drawn at the peerage of Rias Gremory while Irina had hers ready, but not drawn.

"The devils-"

"No fucking _**excuses**_ ," he snarled. "I made myself _**clear**_ that this is supposed to be a diplomatic mission, and you trigger-happy exorcists can't keep your fucking swords in your panties. You ever wonder why your fucking disappointment of an organization fails at its job?"

Xenovia got a malicious glint in her eye, "Are you challenging the church?"

Weinberg turned to the blond man, pointedly ignoring Xenovia, "Kiddo. Drop that killing intent and stand down. I'm not here to fight you guys."

"But they are," the teen was grinning with anticipation. "She wants to fight you, but how about I take your place?"

"No."

"I wasn't really asking, my apologies, sir."

"I am not looking for a yes, you upstart brat." The conviction in the teen's eyes did not change.

Weinberg let out a heavy sigh, "What a fuckfest. Guess I'll need to file another report, huh?"

He threw his hands up in the air, "Fine. Slap your dicks together for all I care."

"Captain," Sirzechs said with a hint of concern.

"Let the kids do their dick measuring, but we'll step in if it gets too violent." Weinberg rubbed his temples, "I think I'm getting aneurysms from this shitshow."

 **[Access Denied - Classification Pending by Discretion of the O5 Council]**

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 **Level 3 Access Recognized - Welcome MTF operator**

 **Now Viewing Records from Eric Nelson**

Even when having various equipment with him, and serving alongside the few people he'd trust with his life, Eric couldn't help but feel dread as the visor of his helmet fall over his clear view of the university campus.

After gaining access to various cameras around Kuoh and company vehicle heat maps, they managed to trace all outgoing infections of exorcists to this location.

Eric shut his eyes as he recalled the orders given by command.

 _[We have amestics that are failing against many,_ _ **many**_ _subjects. Forced our hand and we've begun terminating many subjects who have not been affected after two to three doses. And I mean literal 0 effects. Not a memory lost, or insignificant amounts of memory of 2440. Dragged in a few cells of the first killed subjects. All those resistant to amnestics aren't human. Or...living. They look and act human, but everything is dead. Skin cells, heart, lungs, kidneys...fuck even the brain. Don't ask us how they walk and talk, we need time to figure that out. Bottom line, they're dead. Dead long before we killed them. From there, we got to work. Only a portion of the subjects were really living. Far too many are created from a laboratory. All roads had led back to Kanastra University. We don't have time. Go in there and kill everyone. Regardless of their actions.]_

He is going in against a few thousand, not including faculty and other residents. They can easily be overwhelmed in many situations.

He glanced back to the HUMVEE's where Tau-Nine, Pi-One, two "general purpose" MTFs, were stationed. With them was a anti-terrorism force, meant to cover for the Foundation by assaulting alongside them and releasing reliable, verifiable information.

 _[Weinberg speaking. Command just uploaded old tech we ditched years ago. Gives a reading of vital signs of the object you're looking at. Don't trust it completely, though. It was ditched mainly for the reason we didn't need to give a shit when in combat with_ _ **our**_ _entities, but there were various other problems. Do check by reading your teammate's signs. If all good, team leaders come to me for assigned locations.]_

Eric noticed someone was with him staring down the walkway of the campus, noting the shorter stature of the man, compared to the rest of the Foundation, it wasn't hard to figure out who it was, considering he had the Tau-Nine insignia on his uniform.

He clasped his hand on Ethan's shoulder, "You good?"

It was impossible to see through the tinted visor, but from the tone of his voice, the teen wasn't in the best state-of-mind, "Yeah."

"Don't worry, brother, if you ever need someone to chat with, I'm free. Tough having to have everyone leave you alone on a new path."

He made no effort to remove Eric's hand from his shoulder, so he let it rest there before patting the boy's helmet twice before tuning into Weinberg's station.

 _[Trent, you're going for the Math Hall with Jessica, split your team into three, few of your members in each platoon. We're going to cover the whole eastern portion of the campus before rotating clockwise. We need to take care to cover each building in under twenty minutes.]_

 _[SHIT! FALL BACK! I SAY FALL BACK!]_

 _[SHITSHITSH-]_

"What the fuck?" The utterance came naturally, and there was a clamor of shouts and orders in the midst of gunfire coming from the radio. The entire force came to life instantaneously, now performing telemetry checks along with a functions check.

 _[Captain Weinberg, we've intercepted net calls from another organization. Beat us to the punch.]_

 _[Shit, heard them too. Anyon-]_

There was an explosion from the fourth story of a building and Eric saw a few bodies flying to the ground.

 _[Never mind, I caught that. Everyone, go to your designated buildings.]_ Weinberg was sprinting towards the Biological Sciences building as he issued the command. Eric slapped Ethan's arm as he ran to catch up with the boss. _[Helen, you take the Medical Hall instead of me. Tau-9, come. Trent, send the men you want after us.]_

As he carried less, he went ahead of Weinberg, clutching the SMG tightly. From his peripheral vision, he saw a group of students rush out. Eric raised his weapon as he turned, waiting on the helmet as he stared at them, watching their wide eyes and pale faces.

Seven students, five heartbeats.

He rushed at them and the human ones scattered, one subject bowling over as they screamed. The other jumped at him, hands extended.

The claws appeared out of nowhere as he heard the plastic crack on his bicep. Eric slammed the bottom of the grip of the UMP against the boy's head and swept his feet from under him.

When it caught itself mid-fall and leaped up as if in a martial arts movie, Eric threw aside potential repercussions from killing a civilian and fired into the forehead of the subject, slamming the remains of the skull into the ground.

When the second grabbed onto his leg and began pulling apart the shin armor, forcing the fabric began tearing, he threw a harsh kick into the neck, snapping it as he crushed the throat.

When it didn't let go and continued yanking, he cursed and stomped on the fingers, breaking them before sending the steel-tipped boot into the shoulder of the good arm, before turning around and stepping on the elbow of the headless subject when it crawled forward.

Weinberg pulled him away as Ethan guided the students towards the support teams at the Student Union. Lyynesta was ahead, kneeling at a bush, rifle raised as she scanned windows and the walkways.

Three counter-terrorism operators joined them, one staying behind with Ethan while the two paved a path. Weinberg ran ahead _[You guys keep behind me. I'm the fodder, we can afford to die. You can't.]_

 _[Yessir.]_

The replies came quickly, unhesitatingly.

They encountered nothing through their charge to the building, which they found unsettling considering the fact that things have gone to shit.

The clops of heels on pavement slowed to a stop as Weinberg aimed down the sights through the unhinged steel doors.

Gunfire and screaming blasted through the broken windows and walls from the floors above, and the scent of blood wafted as some bodies twitched while others stayed still.

Two counter-terrorist forces checked Weinberg's sides as he charged through the hall. The third slapped Ethan's back and said, "Follow Eric to the left, we split up to search for the stairs."

He complied, rushing forward and nearly falling on the floor from the blood spilled on the polished tiles.

He heard a curse over the radio and a crash. Ethan turned around, and despite wanting to carry on, curiosity got the best of Eric. They saw one of the operators had fallen flat on his back. Despite quickly recovering, he was clearly irritated as the mess that was made, and the embarrassment he was feeling. Grabbing entrails off of his back, he tossed them aside and wiped his hands as best he could on his pants before checking his weapon. The leader of the counter terrorists asked, "You good?"

"Yeah. I'm good, Danny. Just keep going."

Eric nudged Ethan and began walking, "Let's not fall behind."

"Right."

He nodded turned, aiming down at the floor and releasing a burst at the corpse shimmying towards them, "Fucking zombies, these shits. Watch your step."

Despite the fact it was night out and media always portrayed, dark, looming hallways with unseen threats, reality was far different. There were no flickering lights, and every corner and object was in clear view.

Ethan took a glance down the hall and saw only more doors. Eric laid a hand on his shoulder and told Ethan to stay where he was. He quickly made a quick search of the area behind them, and found part of the team across another hallway, and returned, "Down here."

They jogged slowly, being careful to stay away from the doors of the place as shadows passed through the windows of the doors. It made Ethan nervous, and he guessed that his partner was too, despite not showing it.

Far too many rooms had multiple beings inside. If they broke through, there was a problem. But their main focus is getting to the group of paramilitary members who were in the upper floors. There was a T-intersection at the end, but the stairs were just a bit to the left of the fork, in clear view.

 _[This is Dicker, on me, stairs are down the hall.]_

The team gathered at the foot of the stairs, bringing a rotting smell equal to a body left in the sun for a few hours. "What the hell?"

"It's me," it was the counter-terrorist operator that fell down earlier. "Not sure what that blood is, but it's not normal."

Danny faced him, "Earl, you nee-"

Earl butted in, "No. I'm not going. Captain Weinberg already got a sample of this shit, and left one for the government to take. I'm dying here and I know it. I'm not going to live past a few hours. Feeling mighty dandy, but the shit is rotting me from the inside out."

Danny stared at his long time team member, ready to argue, before nodding once, "Fine. Just tell us if you think you're...turning. Then..."

Earl got the message and nodded, "I'll take point."

Weinberg said, "Go. I'll follow."

The flashlights shone up the stairs and towards the ceiling, and Earl moved up slowly. They climbed up to the designated floor and Earl peeked around the corners quickly in both directions. "Clear. Moving east."

"Wait."

There was sprinting in their direction. Weinberg joined the front and shone his flashlight down the hall at the T-intersection before him. "Here! Over here!"

There was a man shouting and four other people joined him. Eric pushed past Earl and watched the left corridor. "Hey, Rowan, over here."

Danny and the final counter-terrorist watched the right and Ethan joined Eric. Lyynesta stuck with Weinberg and Earl. "Holy shit, is that Jessica?"

Eric glanced over at the name. He wasn't familiar with that name, but he knew Weinberg had stayed with the Foundation for years, he wouldn't be surprised if he had encountered a few team leaders of the organizations of interest.

The final person to get to the safety of the team was a woman with black hair and a model face. Not someone you'd expect in this line of work. "Micheal! It is you. I'm surprised you're still alive."

"You bitch, I could say the same for you. The fuck is the GOC doing here?"

Her eyes darkened. "We've gotten intel on... _human experimentation_ to keep it short." She shook her head and spread her arms, "Looks like it's more than just that. Look at this mess."

Eric stole a glance at the blood pooling on the floor and body parts stinking and rotting despite it supposedly being only a few hours.

He nodded, "Just you give left?"

Jessica shook her head, "A couple more, in fact, if it weren't for the new recruit, we'd all be dead. She's impressive, handling the whole horde of those things."

"Call them zombies, easier."

She shrugged in return, "Sure."

"Wait, who?" Ethan spoke up.

"Jeanne, she said her name was. After Jeanne d'Arc." Ethan quickly stepped forward but Eric held the boy back. "You know her?"

He nodded, "I have to help her."

Weinberg deliberated the choices, "You guys comfortable with going back down?"

Jessica sighed, "And after spending half an hour barely getting back up alive. You assholes really take your time if it doesn't concern you."

Weinberg lew out a bellow and marched forward, "Well, up to you. Earl, Danny, Rowan, you guys take any of the GOC members that want out to the support crew. I'm going in there with my team."

"Wait," Danny began to protest, "You're not joking?"

Weinberg scoffed, "Of course not. We've been sent out to find out what the hell is going on in this university, and those zombies _are_ a result of that."

Danny nodded, "Alright. I'll leave it to you. Make sure the others still down here make it out alive."

Jessica pulled aside one of the men and spoke to her briefly as Lyynesta, Weinberg, and Ethan was guided by one of the GOC members. Eric waited for the person she spoke to reach Rowan at the bottom of the stairs before walking with Jessica to catch up.

He heard jogging coming up and turned around, raising his weapon slightly. Earl came into view, helmet off as he sweated, blood dripping from his scalp. Eric couldn't tell if he was sweating blood or it was sweat mixing with injuries.

From his heaving, Eric quickly realized with shock it was the former.

"I'm joining you guys. No fucking way I'm making it back home. This is my last trip, and I'm going to make damn sure that you all make it out of here alive."

Jessica raised an eyebrow, "Ho? How?"

He pushed his way to walk ahead, "Those fuckers are monsters. If you guys need to book it, I think I'd make a nice meal, enough to give about five minutes."

Earl turned and the sunken eyes seemed to shine, and he tapped his armor, "Besides, bosses warned us that we are all dipping our toes where we shouldn't in this mission. Everyone outside of your GOC on this mission is equipped with a suicide vest."

Jessica whipped her head towards Eric, "He's lying."

Eric tilted the side of his own vest to show the outline of explosives inside.

She can only stare, speechless.

Earl found Lyynesta and the GOC member waiting at a doorway with stairs lined against the wall going down into the depths of the Biological Sciences building. If here were honest, he wasn't sure if they could be infected just being in the vicinity of an infected.

Considering he felt alive and, more importantly, _looked_ alive, he had to say one needed to be in direct contact with blood and gore.

Both of them gave Earl a glance, but not objecting to his presence. They took the lead, followed by Earl, then Eric behind him, and Jessica in the back completely silent. Jessica tapped his shoulder, as they descended, "We should be safe, if you're wondering. It seems the infection gets to you if your skin absorbs it."

"I kind of concluded that," he replied and realized he lagged behind, which is why Jessica brought up the fact. He picked up his pace and saw the bottom of the stairs

The stairs opened up into a wide chamber, which Ethan was speaking to Jeanne as she leaned on a sword stuck in a body while the rest of the team was rounded up. Weinberg turned around at their approach, "This makes me wish the Foundation had Sacred Gear wielders. Can turn the tides of the battle."

Jessica smirked, "Sucks for you, we got dibs first."

Jeanne stood up straight, "If you want my help, I'll join you exploding the rest of this place. The GOC got a lot mapped, but some places are still left in the dark."

"Which we can use," Weinberg nodded.

"I'm sorry, boss," Jeanne said to Jessica, "But Ethan wants to join this guy down here and I don't want to leave him alone."

She nodded, although her consent was reluctant. "As long as you make it out alive."

"No worries," Jeanne grinned, "He and I worked together for a few years, some missions alone. We'll handle anything that comes down our way. Just focus on getting everyone out."

"Before that, you didn't get any blood on you, right? You heeded my warning to stick to range?"

Jeanne nodded once, "Of course. That's what you said and I took your word for it." Her look softened, "Not to mention your hunch was right. Matthew had gotten some on him a while ago...he was rotting when he stumbled out here. I had to put him out of his misery."

Eric let the two converse and walked up to Weinberg, "Captain, Earl's joining us."

"I thought I counted a head more than usual. What are you doing here?"

"I'm already dead, from the moment I fell into the blood. You heard that girl and you can see for yourself. I'm only here to help you make sure everyone exploring this dungeon gets out alive."

Weinberg stared the man down for a second as Lyynesta and Jessica got all the GOC members up the stairs. When it was the five of them alone, "You got the detonator?"

"Of course, and I'm prepared to use it. I overheard you hinting to Command you might have to. Another reason I came here."

Weinberg gave the hint of a smile, "I only said I might. Another team all the way in the US found some lab stuff at a location. They're still figuring things out, but they say that this campus is a branch of that laboratory, if we get lucky they might be able to shut down the subjects with some kind of self-destruct serum or some shit. You won't need to kill yourself, but an extra vest will help."

Earl scoffed, "I'm going to regardless. You know how hard it is for me to go down stairs in this state?" He spit out a few teeth from his mouth. "Let's hurry before I drop dead and become a burden."

Weinberg didn't respond and ordered Jeanne to lead the way.

Most of the doors led to dead end and barracks. There wasn't much documents to recover, and those that were found weren't of any importance.

Despite this, each of the Badger Squad members made sure that all documents were looked over once, to allow the Foundation to review the footage at a future date.

The final door they entered led to another chamber. With six doors on each side, a meter apart from each other and the wall. Weinberg took a peek inside the laboratory door and grunted, "Eric, take a look at this."

He walked away towards the cubicle centered on the center of the room, a transparent glass box seemingly constructed out of plexiglass for protection of its occupant during tests. Eric glanced inside and let out a "holy shit."

Children. Tons of them. Ethan glanced inside and widened his eyes. He gave Eric a look and jogged over to the opposite side of the room while Eric walked alongside the wall, then the final door on the right.

"Same thing with all of these," Ethan called.

Jeanne glanced inside and stumbled back. Earl looked in and managed to cough out, "Fucking bastards."

The children were of varying age and size, standing from half a meter tall to two meters. Their eyes showed nothing but fear as their bald heads turned around while they clawed their bloody nails on the window and door, some on their own bodies and others on each other

Weinberg called Eric over to the cubicle in the center of the room, "You got the stripper?"

Eric reached around and unclipped an object faintly like a walkie-talkie. Weinberg took it and plugged in the device, which immediately began to copy everything on the computer.

"For an organization like these, surprising they use a fucking Windows 8 computer. You'd think it'll be more expensive."

"Agree," Eric replied chuckling as his mind stayed on the children. He heard soft banging and looked at the door to the right, seeing some children slapping at the door, seemingly crying out as they stared out the window Their eyes changed, the pupils seemingly expanded.

"Sir."

"I saw the change," Weinberg replied, and looked over to Earl who shrugged off his vest. "Doesn't look like they are really alive. No heat signatures, no vitals. They're shells of humans."

"I don't like this one bit, sir," Earl called before breaking into a fit of coughing. "Think you could all hand me your vests? Something's going to happen."

"Second that," Eric replied and pulled off the vest, planting it in front of a door at Earl's direction.

Weinberg grunted and both he and Ethan removed theirs as Eric watched the blinking light of the Stripper.

The banging got more rapid and random than consistent. "Yeah, not good."

 _[Badger Squad captain, this is 244 Epsilon Lead.]_

Eric saw a change in Weinberg's posture. "Captain?"

"What is it?" Eric began to reply, but the newcomer answered, and he realized Weinberg ignored him.

 _[Zeta-Nine may have triggered a subject response down at Location-1730. Since I heard that this campus is supposedly to deploy these subjects, I thought I'd warn you you would have company.]_

"Good to know. The subjects are acting up."

 _[Come again? Acting up? Gotta be joking get out of there.]_

"We found a shitton of kids, and concluded they aren't normal."

 _[You're calm for a man facing death.]_

"Nothing crazy yet. The Stripper is still downloading, and the doors will hold up."

 _[Those doors may look sturdy, but these are_ _ **kids**_ _have been tested with God knows what.]_

"I know. Almost done." Eric and Weinberg stared at the rapidly blinking light as the computer's screen flashed "Updating 84%."

 _[Captain-]_

"Sorry, sir. I have to."

 _[Just get out alive you dumbass.]_

"Who was he?" Eric asked when the connection cut.

Weinberg sighed, "Longtime friend. A kid from years back."

"But-"

Weinberg held up a fist, with the side pointed at him, then opened up his hand as banging on the doors speed up drastically as the subjects began slapping at the door as a hoard.

"Sir?" Eric asked with wide eyes, "How do you know him?"

"I said, longtime friends. We knew each other long before this. He might have even been part of the Foundation when he asked me to join," Weinberg replied quietly, " Not sure exactly why he contacted me now. On the other hand, he's the lead overseer of the whole 2440 containment, so not a surprise he's _spectating_."

The screen shut off and restarted while the Stripper blinked blue once brightly for three seconds before going dim. "Weinberg to 244 Epsilon Lead and command, data is on the stripper."

 _[Command? Status of data.]_

The banging had suddenly become a chorus in that second.

 _[Data received and cloned onto a computer. Works fine, we're gleaning through the info now]_

 _[Get out of there.]_

"Understood."

 _[On the double, I hear that shit going off in the background, Captain.]_

Earl nodded once weakly while Weinberg gave him a salute, Jeanne gave a quick one and followed. Eric and Ethan had just finished and whipped their heads towards the back as the doors suddenly blasted off the hinges with an explosion.

Ethan began firing out of instinct, cutting down a portion of the wave. Eric nearly joined in, but he saw that the hoard was too large to make an attempt. The rest of the doors were suddenly torn open and Eric dragged Ethan out. The two pushed shut the door as the first vest went off, sending muscle, blood and bone into the center of the room, staining the cubicle, eliminating well over a dozen subject.

The eyes had become completely dark as some began tearing at each other while screeching in the voices of children. The sound and sight was unnerving, which Eric supposed was the purpose. Others ran for the door and the remaining wave headed for Earl from the smell of blood and rot. Weinberg began shutting the door as Jeanne fended off the subjects running for them. As they slid across the giant bar as the vacuum-sealed doors hissed closed, they heard Earl trigger the last three vests.

* * *

 **[Declassified O5 Council Meeting]**

 **Group - 3**

 **Meeting - 18**

 **Subject - Raid on [REDACTED] campus**

Thirteen men and women combined sat quietly around the room. One man spoke up, "We've lost a couple of men. Luckily the GOC was there to take the worst of the casualties."

"So they owe us. Again."

"Correct."

"Eleven," the eighth woman called.

"Yes?"

"Who are the losses on our side?"

"Our losses include Private Helga Beerus, PFC Jonathan Kepler, and PFC Esperanza Rivera. For the official losses, we have only lost Earl Wu, but Jing Tang is allegedly infected, meaning he is also going to kick the bucket too. He offered to enter Foundation laboratories for research on these zombies, and we accepted, after an agreement with the officials."

The twelfth man raised an eyebrow, "You're sure he's a goner? It isn't possible to let him out after some amnestics?"

"With a good look from Badger Squad Captain's footage of Mr. Wu's end condition, I'm certain we can all agree that Sir Tang will be joining his comrade in the next life," the eleventh man replied grimly.

The first sighed and looked at the reports drawn up through a thorough scan of the computer inside the room. "It's strange, don't you think?"

The chatter died.

"It's as if these guys behind the exports want this found."

The first flipped through a few sheets, "All information is accurate, surprisingly, but the coordinator of this is Valper Galilei."

The woman in the sixth seat tilted her head, "Isn't he-"

"The one in the church, yes. _However_ , he is discreet in his research. Vague. Number ten knows he does not detail everything precisely."

"Right. I've worked with him for a whole decade, so I can vouch that the statement is accurate," a woman piped up to testify. The one in the tenth seat.

"The projects are within his scope," the first continued, "and his morality is questionable, so it makes sense that this is something he would do himself, but someone definitely wants us to suspect him, make a hasty decision and shoot ourselves in the foot."

"Who would?"

"I've called all connections I've had. There is this fallen angel who works...at least acts as if he is working with Valper for a while. Few years. Possibly he is the one setting up Valper's downfall."

"Interesting suspicion. Can we confirm that?"

"Not yet. However, this fallen, I hear he is in Kuoh. So is Valper, for their own reasons. We can send in teams to make a show of monitoring Valper, just in case he actually got cocky and let his security slip, and also to act as if we took the bait, so in case that Fallen Angel is the perpetrator, we apprehend him instead. Then we have Badger Squad, the church, and Gremory tackle the missing Holy Swords, as the church asked us to do."

"Will the devils approve of this? We told them we'll be in and out," a man frowned.

"We regretfully informed him we cannot extract Tau-Nine just yet, but will do so once we've completed our mission there and after we've given him and Rias Gremory the full details of the operation done. Sirzechs trusts us, and we won't disappoint. Even if the young Gremory girl objects, she will see why we are the ones who need to handle this situation."

"Anyone that oppose the idea proposed may do so now," the first man stated when he finished addressing that concern.

A few hands went up, and one woman brought up the issue, "I think you're aware of the fact we are in a tense situation with the church. Shouldn't we let them handle the fact he might be a traitor? In addition to the Holy Swords being stolen?Let them have confidence in us?"

The man in the first seat nodded, "I understand that concern, in fact I've brought it up to them before the meeting began, otherwise, I'd have informed you they will do the work. They want to interrogate Valper if it turns out he is the person carrying out these experiments. The Holy Swords, we will definitely return to them, they just want somebody to aid the efforts."

She gave a sigh and some people were visibly annoyed with the answer. "Nothing we can do about it, unfortunately. So let us depart until the primary overseers allow our next gathering and pray we are able to."

Everyone began standing up except for the man in the first seat, who called to the one on the eleventh one, "Stay seated, I'd just like to share a couple of words with you before we depart."

"Sure."

"Nothing you should be worried about. Just to give you the data we got from the Kuoh Raid. Maybe there is some info Tau-Nine can search for."

"I'm curious, why didn't you bring it up during the meeting?"

"The knowledge pertains to SCP-████, not information they should know for their safety. In fact, all information possibly related to it was excluded. All this before us is the human experimentation."

 **[Remaining files corrupted. RAISA is attempting a full recovery of the recorded conversation between the Tertiary Council O5-01 and O5-11]**

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ **Heya! Apologize for the late release. I've kinda begun chapter 6, and will say tension will grow and Kokabiel will make his appearance. I think. Depends on how far I get. Revising this now, I realized I haven't really been focusing on character thoughts and emotions, only bringing in the dialogue and events. I'll definitely begin fixing that best I can from the next chapter onward. I gave an effort now, but now, but I haven't given it my fullest effort. Hopefully you'll see a change beginning next chapter.**

 **School is decent, I still don't really have time to dedicate hours or days to type, but I'll do what i can until summer vacation. Glad it's 3 months away, so I could possibly get in one chapter worst next.**

 _ **Reviews(Thanks for all the reviews you have given!):**_

 **Doomqwer** **: Thank you! If I were God, I'd do that myself. After thousands of years of being disappointment, spending some time kicking back inside Foundation cells does seem a bit appealing.**

 **Aquaticmammals** **: Thank you for the suggestion. Under the reviews will be the list of all SCPs compiles from chapter 1. It might get a bit lengthy eventually, but I won't mind copy+pasting to avoid forcing readers to look at previous chapters.**

 **FanGirl01 : Thank you, hopefully I can keep up the quality in the future.**

 **DT3 review 1** **: Shame, I'm already planning hostile actions between the church and Foundation. It isn't a full-blown war, but you'll see in the next chapter. ;)**

 **Moving on, you don't need to really worry about religious SCPs(** **aka I am too lazy to deal with them until I need to** **). They won't be integral to the plot(unless I make an arc specifically for one) save for 2440, and just go through the story assuming most are already captured.**

 **Not to mention Tau-Nine is not a MTF specialized in containing religious entities, more of a "general purpose" and forager MTF team(You may have noticed in the end of chapter four when they called in the Mole I will say the mythological beings such as hydras, chimeras, Zeus, Odin, etc will be generally ignored by the Foundation** _ **unless**_ **absolutely necessary. Their range is so wide-spread and ingrained into people's minds that there's no possible way to "contain" them.**

 **I will be selecting some Foundation members for POV, though I'll need to be careful with picking who to focus on in each chapter. I hoped you liked this one on Eric.**

 **Guest review 1** **: Hm, thanks for the suggestion. Though the scenes will likely only appear in O5 meetings**

 **Mogami Kumagawa : ****Verification complete. User CRV is within acceptable limits.**

 **DT3 review 2** **: Thank you, I've fixed that error now!**

 **Guest review 2** **: Right. I most likely made that error more than once over the course of the story, due to inexperience distinguishing The Foundation and the title SCP. Go ahead, make fun of me :P I'm doing my best getting the terminology right.**

 **Guest review 3** **: Yes, that is correct. And what I've done is intentional. But thank you for bringing that up.**

 **Guest review 4** **: Definitely true. Not to mention the Foundation is not the GOC, so they handicap themselves even more handling a lot of anomalies. I'm pretty sure one of the only exceptions is SCP-682.**

 _ **Here's a list of all SCPs and "SCPs", used in the story so far:**_

 **Chapter 1:**

 **[ACCESS DENIED]: Not officially made, but think of SCP-096 except multiple times its size. And without its signature freakout stage.**

 **Chapter 3:**

 **[EXPLAINED]: Just a stray devil. Not an anomaly**

 **SCP-2440: The main SCP, in case you guys haven't figured it out by now, just go ahead and google SCP-2440 ;)**

 **Chapter 4:**

 **SCP-1730: This is the location of the chapter, although more specifically, the "depths" of the anomaly.**

 **SCP-2316: The original Site-13 of SCP-1730 had this anomaly, so I thought it'd make sense that there is more than just one area that 2316 has occupied.**

 **[ACCESS DENIED]: Personal SCP, think Rashaka Demon from Akame ga Kill for anomaly 1, a human at the peak of all its abilities for anomaly 2, and similar to SCP-106 for anomaly 3**


	6. Dr Galilei

**Opening File 6**

* * *

 **[Date - ██/██/██]**

 **[Time:** ██:██ **]**

 **[Location: Site-** ██ **]**

"Sir, we have someone accessing their telemetry records from the operation at █████████ University."

"..." The man tapped at the console, "Who is it?"

"According to the serial number, it should be Ethan Sakamoto of Badger Squad."

"Alright," he replied, "Get me in contact with Captain Weinberg then."

"Understood!"

There was a second of silence, "Patching you to the captain now."

 _[Command, a surprise. What's up?]_

"Ethan Sakamoto is viewing telemetry records of his last mission. An unusual action him, and frankly anyone in the Foundation, to be honest. I thought we'd let you know."

 _[...]_

Weinberg didn't answer for a solid minute, "Captain?"

 _[Yeah, still here. That mission was a disturbing one, I wouldn't be surprised if the kid is just reassuring himself what he did is right. Those_ _ **did**_ _seem like kids, after all.]_

The man grunted, "I understand."

 _[Yeah. I believe I did it a couple times myself, once I left the Army. I'll go talk to the kid, then. See how he's doing.]_

"Understood, sorry to bother you at an unreasonable hour."

 _[Don't worry about that. Nobody's asleep anyway.]_

* * *

Sylvia followed Rias out of the clubhouse for the Occult Research Club, heading for the front gate at the approach of vehicles.

The black sedan pulled up to the curb, dropping off four people. Recognizing Weinberg, Lyynesta, Ethan, and Eric, she greeted them with a smile. "What about the others?"

"They're going to be dropping off our gear later," Weinberg replied. She noticed that he wasn't donning the MTF equipment, instead wearing slacks and white t-shirt that fit over his torso snugly, at least appeared that way under that oxford shirt and tie. A briefcase was by his side, containing who knows what. "Want to lead the way?"

Rias headed back inside and the group followed. Sylvia glanced over to the Badger Squad currently present.

Eric and Ethan were wearing the exact same short and shirts, a set of clothes that displayed their fit physique. Sylvia noted that Ethan seemed more built than the last time she saw him. A change that she didn't mind in particular, but it displayed the shift in Foundation focus versus Church focus.

Lyynesta was a sight to behold. Only an inch taller than herself, and the appearance she had was that of an angel. Her hair was let loose, drifting to hang below her shoulders, shining brightly in the sun. The sundress dropped just above her knees, the article of clothing highlighting her lithe limbs. Staring at the woman's blue eyes and white, smooth skin, she wondered how Ethan judged her own appearance.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she focused on Weinberg speaking to Rias, "So apparently Dr. Galilei had been doing these experiments on your territory."

Rias stared at the sheet in front of her while her queen, Akeno came along and served everyone tea. "Galilei."

"I know that man and what he's done to your knight is a sensitive topic. Refrain from bringing this up to him."

"If this involves Yuuto, then-" Rias began to object, but Weinberg held up a hand.

"No. I've been informed by my superiors it is only _speculation._ Because of this, a portion of the Tau-Nine team is monitoring him knowing all of this. Meanwhile, we are to aid you in finding the stolen Holy Swords. _If_ Valper is the culprit, we have authorization to deal with him."

Rias crossed her arms under her breasts, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Confinement within our cells as we extract all information from him. He might be involved in a... _ **project**_ we're currently handling." Weinberg held the rim of the cup up to his lips and took a sip after speaking.

The president shook her head, "That's not enough. Why are we obligated to share all information we have but you are allowed to slide?"

Weinberg chuckled, "You're the not the first to ask that. The reason why is classification. You, by our system, have no authority to know, nor do you have anything to gain from knowing this. Not to _mention_ , your safety. Some of this information puts you at risk of losing your sanity."

"..." Rias scowled.

"Take my word for it. Some things are best left unanswered," he downed the cup of tea and poured himself a second cup. "I could suppose I'll hand Valper over to your knight once we're done."

"No. Not good enough," Rias answered. "I don't know how long that is going to be. For all I know, it's an empty promise and you will disappear back to where you came from."

Weinberg shrugged, "True. We have done it before."

"And you're proud of that?" Rias was clearly appalled.

"Procedure. And your safety. It's for a reason."

Rias sighed, "Well...my brother trusts you. So you can't possibly be all bad."

 _"Duh,"_ Weinberg let out a scoff, "Can we invite ourselves to stay here?"

Rias glanced at the doors inside the room, "Unfortunately, there isn't enough room for everyone."

Ethan piped up, "Hey. I think Curie had a second home here, right Sylvia?"

Sylvia frowned and nodded once hesitantly. She was confident, but Curie had no mercy on people she would dislike, and she was uncertain about Curie's opinion on Badger Squad.

Not to mention she herself wasn't comfortable with the Foundation using the home.

Weinberg nodded, "Okay. We'll be there."

He faced Rias, "You have a cellphone?"

The king of the Gremory peerage hesitated, but Weinberg dismissed it with a wave of his hand, "Actually, how about those calling cards devils hand to humans? Those are better, since I believe it is two way."

Rias nodded, "I have some to hand out, yes."

A familiar appeared suddenly, presumably Rias's, and hopped around handing each of the people present one card before vanishing. "I assume you already know how it works?"

Weinberg nodded, "I'll explain to the team later.

"Alright," she sighed, as if slightly disappointed.

"By the way," he spoke up, "You need payment? I could give you guys...a few hundred million yen for your service."

Rias blinked once and her eyes widened in shock. Sylvia shot her head towards the captain, but he had no change in his expression. "First off, I'd pay some for that conflict between your peerage and the church. That was uncalled for and out of my hands. I apologize for that."

"Apology accepted."

He faced the team, and addressed them, including Sylvia. "Mind if you guys leave the room? I'd like eyes out as we keep this conversation with Lady Gremory. Lyynesta, you can stay, though."

Ethan and Eric nodded. Sylvia followed them outside and shut the door behind them.

Eric's phone rang as they stepped outside, "Frank! Nice timing. What's up?"

"Uh-huh.

"Yeah, I'll head on over.

"No, Ethan might need to stay since Lyynesta and Michael are doing the negotiations." Eric scratched his head. "Got it. Hold on for a sec."

"I trust that you'll let Weinberg know? I'll be unpacking the stuff?" Eric asked when he hung up.

"Sure, how about at Curie's place? I can give you the address."

He gave it a thought, "Not a bad idea, but it's armor, weapons, and bunch of other supplies. Better to just drop it off at the safehouse."

"You'll need it anyways-"

"-Cause we're staying at your caretaker's place."

Ethan blinked, "Uh-"

"Oh, come on. The Foundation knows Madaime Curie on a relationship equivalent to Azazel. She's protective of you all, sure," Eric smirked. "I can bet that you and Sylvia aren't siblings. She has to be your caretaker."

Ethan was giving Eric a startled look.

"Oh right. We gave you amnestics. We did come over to your home once, but we've administered amestics to everyone but Curie afterwards.. Ask her, if you want."

"When?"

"You mission in the Russia." She saw Ethan nod in understanding.

"Yeah, I guess. I know we did the mission, but everything after is a blank." Ethan quickly scribbled the address of the house and handed it to Eric, who gave it a glance, nodded, and slid the slip into his pocket.

Once he drove off towards the middle of the town, Sylvia peered over her shoulder, "He recognized the place?"

"Nah," Ethan replied, "We just had to study the map of Kuoh before coming here."

"Seriously?" Sylvia asked, bewildered.

He put a finger to his lips, "I didn't do a good job though, don't tell Michael."

Sylvia noticed he now called the captain by his first name. Brushing it off, she smiled, "You're going to be in big trouble, you know?"

He returned a cheeky grin and crossed his arms, "So what did _you_ do once we got here?"

"Tailed Irina and Xenovia, watched their backs as they went along their way. So how'd your mission go?"

Ethan gave a tsk, "It was fine...I guess. Not many died, so I've heard, and I got to meet Jeanne."

"Oh!" Sylvia gave a hop, "Really? How is she? I thought she wasn't in the Foundation!"

"Fine," he replied. "She isn't, though in another organization that focuses on specifically killing anomalies."

Sylvia gave a hum, "I see...isn't that a smarter choice, killing them all? I never really liked the rule where we have to keep something alive to contain it."

Ethan sighed, much to Sylvia's annoyance. It seemed he was talking to a child, "Xenovia and Irina tried to reason with me, tell me what I'm missing, okay?"

Sylvia nodded, "Sure."

"Think of anomalies as a person who is sick. Maybe infected with a disease with no current cure. We do, have the technology to safely quarantine them. Do you kill them, or use them for research?"

Sylvia rubbed her hand on her jaw, letting the words sink in. "It makes sense...though I don't like it."

"Why would anyone? We're throwing good men and women into jaws of beasts, but the more we contain, and the more we get to understand the anomalies, we can end up saving humanity."

She blinked at the foreign words coming from a cynical person like Ethan and could only stare at him. He chuckled, not noticing her gaze, "I say 'we,' but I'm doing the herding. It's really the scientists who save lives."

"You guys too, you know," Sylvia piped up. "They might find ways to prevent SCPs from getting loose, but you're the one who reigns them in, just imagine the damage if they attack civilians."

Ethan nodded just once, "Right."

"Hey," he suddenly perked up, "How's Freed?"

Sylvia grimaced, "Nothing changed about him. He's still trying to get on top of me."

She finished the question with a low volume, mumbling it with a flush in her cheeks. Sure, she was annoyed and frustrated Freed had not given up in rape, but sharing it with Ethan brought some embarrassment she couldn't explain.

At least no explanation she was willing to admit to herself yet.

Ethan glanced over and she saw a cold, dead look in his eyes, "I'd love to kick his ass, and I'm surprised you haven't yet."

"..."

"He's a good friend, a...a disturbing good friend, but there are some lines he shouldn't cross." Ethan turned that look towards her, "If he ever lays a hand on you that way, tell me. I'll go murder him."

Sylvia grinned, "If he does, _**I'll**_ be the one murdering him, not you."

Ethan turned away, but she saw that hidden smile. He didn't reply, but she felt accomplished nonetheless. "Where's Siegfried, by the way? We parted ways together, but he never said anything to me."

"Last I heard," Ethan answered, "He wanted to join the GOC, Jeanne heard he was selected to join, but she doesn't know what happened to him."

"Oh..."

"Yeah, disappeared off the face of the planet. For now."

She tucked her hair behind her ear, tilting her head to the side as he watched down the street. "Ethan..."

He must have heard the concern in her voice, "Hey. Don't apologize for leaving me. You chose to make that choice and I will respect it. It might have been impulsive, but if you feel it is right, don't apologize," he scoffed, "That's why you left, huh? Didn't like the way they operated?"

"..." Sylvia's throat caught itself, but she gritted her teeth and spat out, "More like I don't entirely trust them."

He cocked his head to the side. With an eyebrow raised, he opened his mouth but shut it. "Ah. Right."

Ethan seemed unnaturally calm, which disturbed her. "Hey-"

"I get it, I get it, Sylvia. I myself am restricted by that secrecy. Even with the clearance I have, it's literally only for the project I'm on. Sure, I got some information on 24-" Ethan stopped himself. "On my project, but my clearance doesn't reach to any classified info on the hundreds of other classified SCPs. I get why you're upset. But's to compartmentalize everything. With an organization like ours, you don't want leaks. And if there _**are**_ leaks, you want to know exactly who did it."

Sylvia shut her eyes and sighed. She felt his hand close around hers, "No worries. I won't hold it against you. I promise."

She laughed, "I think I like you a lot better now, Ethan."

Sylvia saw a blush form but he quickly had his hand rubbing his jaw, and at the color forming, "Well...I just had to learn to view things more than one way, yaknow?"

She nodded assent.

"Speaking of which, I have to apologize for that so-called date from way back." She began to blurt out a counter, but he continued, "It was uncalled for, and you only wanted to give me a good time. Sorry."

"I can't decide if you're serious or not," Sylvia muttered.

"Believe it or not, I'm not Freed nor Siegfried." She laughed, feeling a warmth building inside her when he tapped her with a fist. "We can both agree on that, yeah?"

Staring into his brown eyes, she felt drawn closer than before. It might-no, it _was_ \- because he lost that edge he had before. The overly distant character was now more serene.

To her delight, it seemed he was just as mesmerized by her as she was him. "Lovebirds."

Sylvia jerked and smiled, "Captain."

"Michael," Weinberg replied.

She hesitated and he rolled his eyes, "Just call me Michael. Captain is reserved when we're conducting an operation."

"Sorry, Captain," Sylvia shook her head. "I can't do that."

"Whatever, doesn't matter if you do or not." Weinberg glanced at his watch, "Ethan and I have to go into the plaza for a meeting with a shell company, you can come along if you want, to act as eyes, but the actual meeting is Foundation only."

She unconsciously glanced at Ethan, and made her decision on the spot, but wanted to give the impression of thinking. "I'll come."

"Great," the captain responded. She could never tell with that rough, monotonic voice, but it seemed he was happy with the decision. Not to mention it looked like his mouth twitched.

"Are we walking there?" she asked, scrunching her eyebrows in confusion.

"What? You got a ride?" Weinberg asked, as if annoyed. "No rides from the Foundation cause they want the meeting to go unnoticed."

"But-"

"Look, we're not walking there _**together**_ , Christ." Weinberg put his hand to his face. After facepalming, he pointed to Ethan. "I go in first, to get some initial negotiations in. Ethan goes in later, after I call him.

"Meanwhile, you two look the part of a couple. Just do some couple stuff on the way there, it's been decades since my last date. I don't fucking know what you kids do these days on your first date. I go in in twenty minutes. I call Ethan within an hour. So plenty of time for you two to fool around in a restroom somewhere."

She found her heart racing at the thought, but kept her face impassive. "Captain..."

"What?"

"I was just...expecting a more hostile atmosphere."

He glare at her before shaking his head and laughed while waving his hand, "Bah, don't worry about it. I heard you didn't trust us. I get it, whatever. But if you stayed to serve a decade or two, you'll learn to not really care, since it's all intentional for everyone's safety. At least you aren't like the other three."

Sylvia gave a numb nod. Weinberg narrowed his eyes and she saw his beard twitch as he smirked, "Ethan said the same thing, didn't he?"

"Yeah..." she mumbled.

"A surprise to be sure, if you hadn't seen him in a while. 'Tween now and when he first got on, Christ that kid was a pain." He checked his watch, "I'll see you guys soon."

He jogged off, carrying the briefcase as if it weighed nothing, and it soon clicked why he decided to dress up the part of a businessman.

Ethan glanced over and held out his hand, "So how about that date I owe you?"

She smiled as her heart skipped a beat, "After this long, I think you owe me more than just one, yaknow?"

He scoffed, "I don't think I can do more than one a day."

Sylvia embraced his arm and intertwined her fingers in his, leaning against him. She heard his heartbeat. A steady, strong beat that was increasing slowly. He held that calm, peaceful smile, but she knew Ethan was ecstatic.

Their walk was quiet and uneventful, simply walking with their hands laced together, taking their time to get to the plaza.

Upon entering, Sylvia pulled him over to the stores to get herself some clothes to wear. He gave a reluctant look but eventually relented.

The clerk gave them a smile but as Sylvia shifted through dresses, blouses, and underwear, she saw her give Ethan a smile of sympathy as he waited nervously.

Sylvia had him compare dresses for her, picking the one he liked more before finding some she liked herself. She managed to tease him by suggesting he come into the changing room with her as she debated which pair of panties to buy. "For you to see me in," she said.

She had to turn around when to hide her smile when she saw his face. Sylvia could tell he was relieved when he found out she wasn't serious.

Though Sylvia did find herself blushing at the tempting thought.

Ethan went and brought all her items to the cashier, paying for the items in cash. Sylvia wanted to object, but Ethan said it was his salary from the Foundation. They money racked up quickly, only because Foundation personnel usually do not have the chance to spend it.

Which was smart. Have a budget of trillions of dollars, pay your employees because they can never leave their jobs and never find chances to spend that paycheck, then collect their money from them after paying their families a percent of the allotted salary.

Sylvia wanted to find a restaurant to eat at with him, but Weinberg had called him over for the meeting. She could tell he was disappointed, and resigned himself to leaving. Just before he left, however, Sylvia grabbed his arm and planted a kiss on his cheek.

He stared in amazement and grinned, giving her one on the forehead.

As Ethan jogged out of the room, Sylvia thought about how she couldn't be happier that he changed.

Sylvia remembered when he first joined Team Helios, Valper had shoved him in as the leader.

It was a decision made by Valper alone, which made everyone show contempt towards him. Ethan, however, was clearly upset, arguing that the two of them never agreed for him as the leader when he made the decision to join Team Helios.

Valper fought him, and Ethan gave a reluctant answer and accepted the position. Once Valper left, Ethan immediately demanded the original leader to come forward.

Which was Sylvia.

He told her he would not fight for the position. Both of them knew Valper would not allow Sylvia to get her position back, as Ethan is now the official leader. However, Ethan knew they would never accept him as the official leader.

Ethan _demanded_ Sylvia stay the leader until he felt he earned that position. _**But**_ to keep Valper off their back, Ethan would be the leader whenever Valper was present.

Everyone agreed to that proposition. Sylvia began liking him, then.

Their first mission as a team together swept her off her feet. Everyone, actually, but nobody but her would admit to that fact.

It was a S-class stray devil, and by that time, Ethan became familiar with their abilities.

He made an initial plan, asking Sylvia to serve as the distraction and "tank," while Siegfried backed her up, because of his Sacred Gear. Jeanne would serve as the pivotal role in killing the stray, due to _**her**_ Sacred Gear.

Because Freed and Ethan had none, they were to be prepared to shift between support, offense, and defense often, whenever it was necessary.

Ethan's holy sword was perfect for offense, however, because he was given a second one meant to withstand any blow(compared to the first), he would need to aid Sylvia and Siegfried if necessary.

Freed was a test subject, enhanced to perform beyond human levels. Good for offense, but he could take huts if necessary. If Sylvia needed assistance, Freed had to help with his speed and reactions.

It was going well, for the first portion, until Siegfried was caught off guard by a limb. This caused Jeanne to panic and lose focus, which let the stray smack her into a wall.

Even when that happened, Ethan and Freed retreated, the latter was asked to distract and annoy the stray.

Ethan ran over to Sylvia, telling her to get Jeanne and regroup. Ethan ran over to Siegfried and dedicated all his efforts to defending the exorcist, as the devil knew that a user of powerful demonic blades were a big threat.

Because he concluded whittling down the stray would ultimately fail, Ethan made a new plan on the spot: have Sylvia focus on a punch strong enough to end the fight instantaneously.

She knew it was risky, because even with the mana to do so, the force could be strong enough to make her arm unusable.

Ethan looked dejected but understood, and abandoned the plan, instead focusing on attacking the stray's head.

The four worked in tandem as usual, but Sylvia realized even as together, they weren't as coordinated as Ethan had controlled them.

Freed fell again, and the stray quickly grabbed the opportunity to strike, but Ethan had already reacted, throwing himself in front of the exorcist while Jeanne brought Freed out of range, at Ethan's command, of course.

She would never throw herself in front of Freed willingly, and Ethan would refuse to admit he would do that too, but he has shown time and time again that his team was closer to him than anyone else in the Church's custody. At that point, Sylvia knew they would die. Without enough power to end the fight, they would be worn out.

The stray knew that. Ethan wasn't enhanced like Freed or Siegfried, or someone special like Sylvia. He couldn't reserve his stamina compared to Jeanne with Blade Blacksmith.

He was the most vulnerable. Physically the weakest link. The magic circle appeared at his feet, he directed his attention to a safe spot to land in in a second, but didn't see the tail from the corner of his eye that came around at the same time.

Ethan, was by all mean, dead. Falling to the ground with a claw punching through the meat on his calf, he was immobilized, yet yelled at the others to let him die and go. Sylvia wouldn't let that happen.

The magic circle let loose talons, striking at every possible angle. Ethan defended enough to survive, but he was getting cuts and stabs as second passed. The devil attempted to eat him, but he quickly cut the claw and leaped to stab the eyes, his last ditch-effort at completing a mission three other exorcists groups failed at.

Sylvia got to it first and her punch sent her through the tough skull.

Blood and bone painted and stabbed her as she landed on the tongue of the now slain stray.

Running to Ethan, she saw him stare at the corpse with awe, then the eyes focused on her with contempt.

She knew what he was thinking at night.

The fight could have ended sooner, yet Sylvia, like all the others in Team Helios, "tested" themselves over getting the job done.

She began doing all she could to make it up to him, but the damage was done. Reminiscing now, Sylvia found it silly that she resented Ethan for not opening up to her. They both knew why he chose to become cold, why _**he**_ was supposed to be the new team leader.

Even still, he never let those emotions and hatred get to him on missions. He flicked on a switch internally, set on keeping his team alive.

Then there was their duo mission together.

She wondered if that day was when she began falling for him.

She was interrupted from her thoughts when a woman sat across from her. "We've been looking for you, Ms. Lyyneheym."

Sylvia nodded once, focusing on the slightly elderly woman. The woman was disarming enough with a smile highlighting the crow's feet at the corner of her mouth, the sparkling black eyes shining with optimism, and despite the graying hair, she had no wrinkles on her face. Through all this, Sylvia quickly shifted mana into her feet, ready to spring away from the unfamiliar woman.

"I know you're a close friend of Mr. Sakamoto, so don't be alarmed by my message."

Sylvia kept her face impassive. "What is it?"

"The Foundation, as you know, is a shady group of individuals."

Sylvia debated that. True, there was a lot of secrecy, from the outside world and those employed by the Foundation. Seeing the horrors first-hand, she _**knew**_ the populace cannot see the anomalies. It was too much to digest when they offer so little to help.

But with the box within the box, Ethan said it would compartmentalize the Foundation. And it was understandable. Ethan said Tau-Nine, the MTF Badger Squad was under-which included Sylvia and the support team-and a second MTF, were the only two working on a project(though only Badger Squad and the second MTF are aware of the specifics). The two performed differently Tau-Nine is the "athletics" of the project, while the second MTF is the "academics".

It made sense. If the second MTF was decimated, Tau-Nine could carry the work and also update the replacement team with full knowledge on their project, and the replacement got to read through all the documents for every detail. If Tau-Nine was decimated, the primary team could work undisturbed while they updated the new team replacing Tau-Nine, as Tau-Nine only needed an order to do something.

It was very unlikely both would be killed in short time, but that didn't prevent a couple of teams on standby for that specific situation.

This, of course, had pros and cons. On one hand, they got to put their all in that specific task, no need to worry about the laboratory under 1730, no need to worry researching into those creatures Badger Squad found that eliminated one full MTF. On the other, if these two died, there would be a hassle replacing everyone on that project.

But she had to find out what this person is approaching her for, "Yeah...I agree."

"We're in a rough spot," the woman sighed as she fiddled with her thumbs. "We aren't given access to any records in the Foundation while they can purge ours at their own free will."

Sylvia frowned, she was going to confront Ethan-though Weinberg would be a better person-about that.

"And not to mention, they're trespassing on property while destroying it." The woman's eyes darkened, "And murderers, the lot of them."

"What do you mean?"

The woman gestured for her to follow. Sylvia joined the woman inside the restroom, and she locked the door behind them. Producing a cellphone, the woman showed a video.

It was of a university campus, and Sylvia picked out Ethan from the crowd, only because Winberg's figure was so easy to pinpoint. Under the light, anyone would recognize the bushy, black beard on one side, and grey on the other, matching the discolored patch of skin talking to the one person who didn't belong in giants of men.

He spoke to Ethan for a bit before heading into the central vehicle. Eric joined Ethan for a chat before everyone bustling around turned. From the shaking of the camera, static of a disruption, with the rumbling, it had to be an explosion.

They began to move, everyone running for a specific location.

The woman changed cameras, or scenes from the video, and Sylvia saw Foundation members mowing down exorcists, some running, others fighting for their lives.

Anger grew within her, but she controlled it. There had to be more to the story. There had to be. She watched as Ethan's team rejoined those Foundation members, and marched deep into the depths of the building. The woman changed cameras every so often, showing more scenes of gore as the Foundation mowed down exorcists.

Then came a scene where Ethan fired upon children. All screaming and running. They left behind one member who activated a few vests, obliterating all the children inside. "These are the people we agreed to work with."

Sylvia took a deep breath and shut her eyes. Her stomach roiled but she managed, "You're not expecting me to kill Ethan, right?"

"Not now, no," the woman replied. "But keep an eye on him. We need people to control the damage we're taking. Maybe if we have to, you can eliminate Tau-Nine, but for now wait for orders."

"From who?"

The woman seemed taken aback, "Valper, of course."

"He sent you?" The woman gave a curt nod, "I wonder why he didn't come himself."

"He...was busy. You know he is."

She was correct, Valper was always busy, but that never prevented him from coming personally and giving orders, expecting Team Helios to follow them to the t.

After a brief discussion with the exorcists, both of them left the restroom, Sylvia feeling a numb as she clutched the bad in her hands.

Eventually, Ethan and Weinberg returned, the latter ordering from the counter as the former sat beside her. "Sylvia?"

She glanced over, "I want to talk."

Ethan caught her expression and nodded, "Now?"

"Later. Once...once we get home." Weinberg ate lunch silently, feeling the atmosphere of the table. As Ethan stared at the triple quarter pounder before him, he gave Sylvia a couple of glances in concern, but he eventually began eating.

She wasn't sure how to react. She wanted to be confronted, maybe comforted, but she had a feeling she would react with hostility. Lost in her thoughts and conflicts, the chatter fading into the background as if her ears were covered, her responses are automated nods and shakes of her head. She mechanically followed them and didn't even realize they had made their way home until Ethan held her shoulder.

Curie was seated at the table set on the patio, having turned her attention towards Weinberg, Ethan, and herself. "Ah, you guys are finally back."

"So the rest are back already?" Weinberg asked without emotion.

"Nope," Curie replied, "How about some tea? And why not come closer? I'm not going to bite."

"..." He didn't answer for a while, only walked up to the outdoor table. "You didn't call her, did you, Ethan?"

"I didn't," Ethan answered as he lifted a cup of tea Curie slid over. "She just...knows."

The woman gave a chuckle and drank the tea in her cup. "Sorry to spoil the fun, captain."

"I'm sure you even knew we were coming that night Helios went to the Tunguska River." Curie gave a sly smile and simply shook her head. "Of course you don't."

"By the way, Captain," Curie piped up, "Tau-Nine is monitoring Valper at the moment, but Freed is here too, you might want to have someone keep tabs on that man. He's not _evil_ like a few people, of course, but he'll definitely be harming the Foundation-Faction alliance."

Sylvia wondered if Curie would die by Weinberg's gaze if looks could kill. She shivered slightly as Weinberg sat down, "How about a quick chat?"

Curie grinned, "Why of course! That's what I've been waiting for you to offer! Tea?"

"Fuckin-" Weinberg rolled his eyes, " _I'll take it, Christ_."

She poured a cup and waved Ethan off, "This is a chat between two adults, you two, I hope you don't mind."

"More like things you shouldn't be hearing."

Curie giggled, "That's the same thing, young captain~"

Ethan nodded as Weinberg took a cautious drink from the cup. Before Sylvia shut the door behind them, she heard him growl, "Alright, first things first. Stop yammering your tongue off."

Sylvia wanted to step out and warn the captain of Curie and her personality, but Ethan pulled her away and closed the door. "No."

"But-"

Ethan held his hand on the door, "He'll be fine."

"Damn it," Sylvia sighed. "I'm worried for Weinberg. You really think she'll tolerate his talk?"

"She tolerates Freed, remember? It really depends on what she aims to do." Sylvia grit her teeth but Ethan laid a hand on her head.

"Alright...If the captain gets hurt, though-"

"Curie knows she can't just hurt him. There's the whole Foundation to worry about," his smile was disarming, but she refused to back down.

"I _know_ ," she began to whine, slightly aggravated. "But _if_ she gets in trouble, I'm making sure you pay for that."

Ethan laughed, "Fine, fine. Want to go to the backyard? Light sparring?"

Sylvia suddenly recalled that she wanted to confront Ethan about the operation in Kanastra University.

"How about the home gym?" She suggested. Ethan raised an eyebrow. "I noticed you got more built after joining the Foundation. Maybe we can work out a bit?"

"Oh..." he sounded disappointed, "That works too, I was hoping I could find if I was slipping. But I'm surprised you want to hit the gym. You don't necessarily need physical strength, do you?"

Sylvia shook her head as she followed him up the stairs, "No, but can't hurt, right?"

" _Have_ you ever lifted weights before?" Ethan asked as he entered his room. He began closing the door behind him, but Sylvia pushed through. "Wha-"

"I wanted to talk."

He stared at her for a good while, then nodded. As he shut the door, he commented, "I should have seen that coming, huh?"

She crossed her arms as she leaned against the door. "At least you didn't."

He gave a tight smile, "Right. For your benefit."

"What happened in Kanastra University?" She felt her throat begin to tighten, but managed to keep her voice straight.

" _ **That?!**_ I have to ask Weinberg for that, and _he_ has to ask his own superiors for permission, Sylvia."

"I know," she felt annoyed she was being consumed by her emotions. Her eyes were tearing up, and she fought to keep her voice from trembling. "But you _**killed**_ them! Exorcists! Scientists of the church, Ethan!"

He seemed taken aback. Surprised at her fury.

"How could you? Didn't you even try convincing Weinberg to hold your fire? Didn't you try talking to-"

"Sylvia, what are you-"

"Don't act _**dumb,**_ Ethan!" she screamed. "I was _**shown**_ the security footage! You gunned them all down! You murdered _children_ that were trapped while being exp-...experimented with who the hell knows _what!_ Why didn't yoi _**save**_ them? _"_

She began sobbing. Sylvia was unsure if she even knew the exorcists, but they were people who she could have worked with before nonetheless.

"Who showed you this?"

"Does it matter, Ethan?" She snarled as she batted away tears. Ethan was standing still, watching with his empty eyes.

"I'll show you." Ethan said softly. "I'll show you my recordings, okay?"

She didn't answer.

"Do you trust me?"

"Why ask that question?" She replied.

"You said..." he shook his head as he looked for his gear, "It's not here. Damn."

"..."

He held up a finger, "Don't say anything." He pulled out a phone and dialed a number. She couldn't hear the dial, but she waited.

"Hey, Frank. This is Ethan. You have all our gear, right?"

He paused, "Nice, I know the plan was to keep everything at the Foundation safehouse, but we got enough space in Curie's home to have everyone's things to be in their own room."

"Yeah, exactly right." Ethan paced, "Cool, thanks a lot. Sorry for calling you last minute."

"Mhm, better safe than sorry, right? See you in a few." Ethan hung up, and sat down on the bed. "Sylvia."

"What?"

She realized how sharp her tone was, but didn't correct herself. Ethan didn't ask his question and only pulled the blinds apart enough to let in light.

They stayed completely silent for the whole time as they waited, Ethan getting up and pacing the room and sitting down uneasily as Sylvia sat in a chair Ethan offered earlier.

The team came along in the SUV, and began unpacking, Sylvia cleared her tears and began to follow after him, but stayed put at the last second.

Ethan brought up two luggage bags. Putting one down gingerly, he set down the second and pulled out the helmet. "Is the door shut?"

"Yes."

Ethan brought out a SD card reader and retrieved a SD card from the helmet. "We went to Kanastra University. I'm not sure what you have been shown, but here is what I got."

He gave her his laptop and let her watch it at her own pace as he walked back and forth inside the room. Twice he glanced over at her, but he said nothing. She stared at the footage and constantly reviewed it. Jumping back and forth between times constantly. "Ethan."

"What's up?"

"Who are the GOC, exactly?"

Ethan sat down beside her on the bed. She handed him the laptop, which he took. "They're similar to the Foundation, except they aim to destroy anomalies rather than contain and research. That's all there is to them. Sometimes we team up with them for containment."

"Containment? Do you guys ever let the GOC destroy an anomaly?"

He gave her a glance, and Sylvia flinched at the broken gaze. "I don't know. I'm the newedt member. But if you think the Foundation would give them an anomaly to destroy, you don't know anything."

"I...I see," she whispered then stared at the screen. "The thing that killed the man..."

"Earl?"

"Yeah. The blood that killed Earl, what is that thing?"

Ethan shrugged, "Not sure myself. Most likely something cooked up in a lab. That's for su-"

There was a loud knock on the door. Ethan quickly closed the windows and unplugged the SD card reader, "Come in!"

Weinberg opened the door and stomped inside, "Look. Don't be middle schoolers hiding some drugs, I was told you went over the footage from the Kanastra mission. I covered for you because Curie said leaving you in the dark would ruin the alliance, Sylvia."

Both of them avoided his glower, saying nothing. "Ethan."

"Sir."

"The story you stick with is a traumatized kid making sure he did the right thing. Got it?"

"Yessir."

"Repeat what I said." Weinberg commanded. After Ethan correctly responded, Weinberg jabbed a finger at Sylvia's direction. "Sylvia. You know _**nothing.**_ I can ask for a declassification, and I will show you the footage again, but for now, you know _nothing_ about the mission. Understood?"

She nodded.

"They're reprimand me for being lax, they'll terminate _**you**_ , Sylvia, if they refuse to use Class E amnestics, because you're already borderline liability with your knowledge. They're gonna cut you off, Ethan, from the Foundation after Class C amnestics, if they don't use Class E on you too. Hell, they might fucking have to do that after failing to shoot through that thick, damned skull of yours."

Weinberg took a deep breath, "This is after you guys fucking _**told me**_ why we refuse to let out information to general public, for fucks sake."

He turned around, "Fucking shove that SD card back into the helmet and don't ever bring this up again."

Weinberg didn't slam the door on his way out, luckily, but it would have made everyone feel more relieved. "Etha-"

"Don't mention it."

"I'm sorry," she apologized quietly.

"I don't regret the decision. At least you won't be swayed by the words of the Church, right?"

Sylvia frowned, was it the church? "You're sure it is the church?"

"No, a guess. Who else owned that facility? Who else wants to ruin the alliance like Michael mentioned? A specific part of the church. I don't think the Church as a whole, but definitely some people, right?"

"Right."

They looked up as a shadow passed by their door. Dressed in her maid outfit, Madaime Curie curtsied and tucked her blonde hair behind her ear, "You guys need to go soon."

"Go where?"

"Why, to meet Freed at the old church a few blocks down the road, of course. He's going to be fighting Issei and his little entourage in half an hour, which will spell trouble for the future if anyone in either party is killed."

After the message, Curie simply sashayed down the hall and down the stairs. Ethan stole a look at Sylvia, who shrugged. "You want to grab your swords before we go?"

Ethan turned around and simply grabbed a combat knife from his luggage. "Ethan?"

"I will be fine," he answered curtly, "Armor will weigh me down."

He left without another word and Sylvia gritted her teeth as her stomach dropped further. She was about to leave the room after him when she walked over to the closet and grabbed two swords she felt would be best fit to handle Freed.

Sylvia began hustling when she heard the door shut, but before she could run after Ethan, Curie stopped her. She noticed Curie's expression was grim, compared to her calm, care-free smile, which attracted her attention. "Sylvia, you need to learn to trust the Foundation."

"Bu-"

"Not buts, young one," Curie interrupted softly. "He trusts you, he wants to. And you already made a bad impression."

Ethan was inside the house again, "Hurry up."

Curie dropped her arm and waved Sylvia away, going back to creating dinner.

Sylvia glanced at Ethan, who was waiting impatiently at the patio. "Let's go."

He turned without another word and began jogging towards the Church.

* * *

 **Subject 2440-0004:**

"Hey old man!"

The doctor kept his expression passive, despite being slightly agitated at the exorcist's blatant refusal to fix his speech. "What is it?"

"We've been searching this fucking shit hole building for hours, and I can't find jack shit! What did your big ol' douchebag want anyway?"

"There were supposed to be documents on how to forge an Excalibur with four different swords. Each time another is added, it becomes harder to create. This place was an old site where five swords were combined."

His companion groaned, "Bah, I can't believe you brought me here to scratch my balls waiting for you to pull some shit out of your ass. I want to get out there and kill something, yaknow? You coulda brought one of them super sick Bruce Jackie Li bodyguards."

The doctor didn't want to voice his concerns about how much he began to distrust the bodyguards. As days passed, he realized the unease he felt during his hours researching came from murderous intent from those minions. "You're capable, that's why I brought you here."

The exorcist perked up, "Hey, someone's here!"

Which proved his point. The exorcist was a proud subject of his, enhanced to near superhuman capabilities, compared to peak human condition like another one he created. The doctor heard distant footsteps from floors above, and sighed. "Just after we found the entrance to the real place, huh? Why don't you go greet our guests and keep them busy?"

"Yo, doc!" The exorcist protested, "You know I know jack shit on how to use this choppy choppy!"

He returned a heavy sigh. "Then let's make this quick."

The exorcist's sadistic grin appeared, the ghoulish face growing in the dim light. As he ran out of the labyrinth, the doctor followed calmly.

 **"HERE'S PAPI! WHO ARE WE FINDING TODAY?!"**

When there was silence for a long minute, the doctor became more curious than concerned, because something that could shut up the exorcist is splendid. Calmly taking the steps up, he walked out of the tunnel and now stood between a few pews. Seeing the duo confronting Freed, it explained a lot.

"Ah, Sakamoto. It seems you've joined the Church in hunting me?"

* * *

 **[Recovered Logs Will be Printed Below]**

 **[RAISA regrets that it is unable to recover all parts of the conversation]**

 **O1 - "These are all the files we got. They're yours to keep."**

 **O11 -** _**"Interesting. Why did you come to that conclusion?"**_

 **O1 - "All of those are within your scope of supervision. These subjects are essentially a branch of Children of God."**

 **O11 -** _ **"...I see. Then I shall take my leave."**_

 **O1 - "Go on ahead, that's all I needed to tell you today, anyway. Hope you find something useful from it."**

* * *

 **End of File 6**

* * *

 **A/N: Hopefully this chapter was not a disappointment. I'm figuring out ways for lack of communication between Sylvia and Ethan to interfere in the future. **

**The arc is coming to an end soon...Within 3 chapters, I'd say. So expect that. Now, this end portion may begin to get clunky, so I'll do my best to make it less of an eyesore. I also apologize for any errors in the story, plot holes and spelling + grammatical. After rereading multiple times, various times, it becomes hard to pinpoint everything.  
**

 **...**

 **Reviews(Thanks for all the reviews you have given!):**

 **doomqwer -** Thank you! SCP-738 will be a good tool for the Khaos Brigade, but I'll have to decide if it is in containment yet or not.

 **DT3 -** **Point 1:** I apologize for that, if you were expecting more from the GOC. I might, however, add a side story log of a GOC POV of the Kanastra University mission in the near future, to give a proper POV from either Jeanne or Jennifer. They weren't that noticeable because most were already dead when the Foundation came along. **Point 2:** As much as I'd like to use canon characters of the SCP wiki, I want to be cautious of it because I don't want to disappoint followers of the wiki by having an OOC Clef, a main reason you see so many OCs with Weinberg, his brother, and a kind of self insert myself as a O5 council member. Just a cameo, "I" won't have much of an effect since there's still 35 other O5 members. **Point 3:** What if someone is already spreading it worldwide, the church may or may not be affected ;) **  
**

 **Junior VB -** Thanks! I was hoping it gave that vibe, but I still felt like I could improve on horror elements. **  
**

 **Zero300x -** She won't, don't worry. Like a lot of the DxD characters, she doesn't trust the Foundation.

 **soberan 123 - Point 1:** This'll be spoilers, and this is as much as I'll say. The Church is split, though this is won't be mentioned for a long time. Nobody, from the actual church to the Horizon Initiative(I didn't know this was a organization, so thanks!) will acknowledge the split, but the moment the Church created the alliance with the Foundation, the schism happened. **Point 2:** Sacred Gears and Longinuses will be touched upon later, but since I don't know how long, I'll say _**now**_ that the Foundation tried, but after the Great Faction War, they made orders to not contain any items/objects of DxD origin(hint: Trihexia if big baddy boss, 13 Longinuses contained and unusable, what happened?) **Point 3:** Glad you brought up the Hero Faction point, that has already been a plan of mine since I began the story. It'll happen :)

 **...**

 **Here's a list of all SCPs and "SCPs", used in the story so far. All new ones will be bolded, edited ones will be bolded and underlined:**

JSCP will denote a named anomaly inspired by sources other than the SCP(as a prefix, X denotes object, L will denote location, and C will denote an event)

SSCP will denote a subject similar to an already existing SCP, basically SCPs I'd like to use, but is too dangerous for DxD and a less equipped group like Badger Squad to actually handle.

OSCP will be anything that I can think of that is not inspired by anything, an "OC" SCP(won't mean someone did something similar though)

 **Side Note:** I apologize for chapter 5, it should have had a couple of entries.

 _ **Chapter 1:**_

 **JSCP-X00** **1: Not officially made, but think of SCP-096 except multiple times its size. And without its signature freakout stage.**

 ** _Chapter 2:_**

No anomalies exist in the second file.

 _ **Chapter 3:**_

[EXPLAINED]: Just a stray devil. Not an anomaly

SCP-2440: The main SCP, in case you guys haven't figured it out by now, just go ahead and google SCP-2440 ;)

 _ **Chapter 4:**_

SCP-1730: This is the location of the chapter, although more specifically, the "depths" of the anomaly.

SCP-2316: The original Site-13 of SCP-1730 had this anomaly, so I thought it'd make sense that there is more than just one area that 2316 has occupied.

[PENDING]: Personal SCP, think Rashaka Demon from Akame ga Kill for anomaly 1, a human at the peak of all its abilities for anomaly 2, and similar to SCP-106 for anomaly 3

 _ **Chapter 5:**_

 **SSCP-X610: A recreation of SCP-610, except it does not seem to grow or actively aim to infect and consume organisms.**

 **SSCP-X610-1: Organisms that are "hosts" for JSCP-X610, very much like bloaters in post-apocolyptic video games, they tend to explode to shower unfortunate operators with JSCP-X610, which would ultimately spell death.**

 **SSCP-X096: The flesh hungry test subjects are failed instances of a recreation of SCP-096, they can be aggressive, but it takes prolonged period of time for them to register being seen and even longer to become agitated.**

 _ **Chapter 6:**_

No anomalies exist in the sixth file.


	7. The Fallen Voice

**Level 2 Access Recognized - Opening File 7: The Fallen Star**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: Any content and devices used from the SCP and DxD universes does not belong to me. Just the way I interpret and use them for the story. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **\- Level 5 Credentials Required. Access Denied -**

 **Reason: Classification Level Pending**

 **Contents: Operation Kuoh - What Happened Before the Foundation Arrived**

* * *

"How about we make this easy, Valper?" Ethan asked. "Tell the truth on what's going on."

Valper tilted his head quizzically, never losing his calm composure. "I can tell from your eyes you won't believe me even if I do tell the truth."

Ethan didn't reply, so Sylvia spoke up, "Dr. Galilei, I think it is best to at least explain what is going on."

Valper gave her a long stare before turning to Ethan, "I trust that you'll listen? Like Ms. Lyyneheym?

"I'm not sure where exactly everyone is getting the idea I'm doing things _illegally_. It's tiring, to be honest," Valper sighed. "I gave up on human experimentation years ago. You, Ethan, are the second batch of subjects I worked on, and I only made you at peak human condition, compared to the insertion of the light element in the first batch."

Sylvia glanced at Ethan in surprise, here she always believed he was a normal human. Technically, he was an artificial human like Freed or Siegfried, still normal by most means. Though Ethan seemed to know this already. "Ethan?"

"He already knows this, young Lyyneheym," Valper waved his hand dismissively, "Why do you think he despises me so much?"

Freed rubbed his hands together, "Woweh, that explains a shitton of stuff. I never knew that either, why did you never tell me, ol' pal?"

Ethan ignored Freed and glared at Valper. "Continue."

As Valper began speaking, Freed gave a sigh of annoyance and stuck his sword into the concrete. "After it turns out you were successful, I tried to create superhumans with the light element. In the end, I only got Freed as a successful test subject, and soon it occured to me that I understood nothing about a successful Excalibur wielder."

He sighed, "So I chose a different path. Rather than making a _**human**_ strong enough to wield Excalibur itself, I decided it would be best to research the Excalibur and the various broken swords to make usable _**swords**_ of equal or near-equal power for you guys."

"So you never touched human experimentation again."

Valper sighed.

"Young boy, need I repeat myself? If I were as fit as I used to, I'd smack you upside the head. _**No**_. I am researching Holy Swords. I would love to say that I am making good amounts of progress, but sadly it is a mixture of good and bad. Freed is wielding a fused Excalibur of three swords, though unfortunately, I hadn't made much progress in reverse-engineering, but that'll come later. I want to see how well it holds itself together first."

Ethan gave Sylvia a look, a curious look she recognized. "Dr. Galilei?"

"Yes, child?"

"Which ones are fused?"

Valper raised an eyebrow, "Such a curious question...Rapidly, Nightmare, and Transparency so far. I hope to get the others."

"But...those are the ones stolen!" Sylvia cried out.

Valper rolled his eyes, "Stolen is taking it too far. I sent the required papers and talked to the keepers of the Excaliburs. I was given permission to use them. I guess having an old, undesirable history gets all the nuns making blasphemous statements."

Sylvia gripped Ethan's arm, "Could someone have messed up somewhere?"

Ethan was about to reply when Freed got his weapon ready, while standing up straight, "Heya, heya! More people arrived!"

Valper scowled, clearly unhappy. "So you were detaining us after all."

Ethan responded by raising a hand, "No. I'm not. The Foundation has its suspicions, but it doesn't fully believe that you're the cause behind all this yet. Same with the Church, part of it at least. Some are calling for blood, but another half is waiting patiently for the evidence, that is the side working with us."

"Captain," Ethan spoke, into a radio, "Do we have time to get Valper out?"

Sylvia clenched her fists as she felt a disturbance in the air around them.

"Alright, how about blowing a hole in the wall? C4? South side of the building, there should be an empty room." Ethan nodded, "You better sort this out, Valper."

The doctor scoffed, "You can bet that I will."

"May I ask, you sent the papers directly to the Church?"

Valper shook his head, "No, I gave them to Kokabiel, he could have sped up the process infinitely more by moving from Kuoh to the Vatican. Of course, after he told me they accepted the applications I went to the locations. Even the guards there let me in to tak-"

Everyone came to the same conclusion at the same time when Valper stopped talking.

Everyone but Freed that is, who was simply toying with the sword. But knowing him, Sylvia guessed he figured it out too but could care less about the politics. If it escalated enough, he'd be ready to fight Kokabiel himself out of enjoyment.

Valper scratched his chin, "Ah...what a hassle, I'll need to go speak with him soon."

"I don't think that's a smart idea. Won't it be better if you turn yourself in and get this all settled out with the Church? Let us handle him?"

"And I should trust you, young boy?" He questioned, "Someone who hates me as much as part of the Church itself?"

Ethan laughed, his eyes growing dark in the moonlight, "I'm not asking you to trust me, but the Foundation."

Valper nodded a few times and stepped back, just as the doors exploded inwards. Sylvia shielded her eyes and batted a shard of wood that flew her way. Freed cut down various splinters while Ethan simply caught and tossed aside those he needed to worry about.

"Oh..." Valper mused when he saw the first person walk in. A tall, blonde man with eyes blazing with a wrathful desire. "Aren't you that boy from a couple of years ago?"

Ethan shot his head back to the doctor, "Haven't you said you stopped experimentation?"

"I did stop, boy, but this man is-."

"Valper," Kiba snarled, "You will die tonight."

"Ohooo," Freed sang, "Such a generic, cliche statement, why not something like: Since you're the one who made my life hell as a baby, and because I was given a second chance to live, I will use my life ending yours! Then stick me cock up your ass!"

"Stop!" Ethan shouted.

Xenovia and Irina stepped out from behind the teen, the former speaking up, "If you turn yourself in now, you have a good chance to live, Valper Galilei. But if you don't, we'll be forced to cut you down in the name of the Church."

Sylvia noticed Irina looking at Ethan in shock, then she glanced at Xenovia and Kiba, "Guys, hold on-"

Issei stepped out from the side as Koneko watched with disinterest, "That's right! Your reign of terror will end here, Valper!"

"The five of you, stand down. You're missing out the bigger picture here," Ethan called.

"I'm not missing anything," the knight replied as he summoned two demonic swords from the ground and drew them. "I know all I need to know. He came in and ordered all the failed subjects terminated."

"Wait a seco-" Irina started to say, but was stopped when everyone around her split up.

"Fuckin-" Ethan growled, "Freed."

"What's up, dickbutt?"

"Stall him. Don't you fucking dare kill him."

"You got it, pardner!" Sylvia saw the man disappear in a flash and appear behind Kiba, "Heyo!"

He reached out with his tongue to lick the teen's ear, but quickly backed off when the knight turned to cut down the exorcist. The swords shattered in his hands as Freed stood confidently near Ethan. "C'mon! Be faster than that! I'm not even trying to use my abilities!"

"Go make sure Freed doesn't die, alright?" Ethan spat out.

"What about you?" Sylvia asked as Freed sang a song dancing around Kiba while avoiding the combined efforts of Xenovia and Irina.

"You think I'll leave Valper unguarded? How stupid can you get?" Sylvia flinched at his cold tone, a switch went off and his walls had returned. Her breaching his trust had him quickly tear open a chasm, separating them with an uncrossable distance.

She swallowed and pulled the swords over her head and handed them to Ethan, "Ethan, you might need these."

He glared at her before his look softened slightly, "Thanks."

Ethan pulled one out and nodded before sliding it back inside its scabbard. He waved Sylvia off and pushed Valper ahead as an explosion went off in another room.

Weinberg was here.

Irina was rushing towards Ethan and Valper, but Sylvia dashed towards her and brought the arm down, twisted the wrist backwards and forced Irina's arm into an inhuman angle to drop the weapon.

"Is Valper as bad as they make him out to be?" Sylvia was astonished by Irina's words.

"Why are you asking?"

"Ethan is defending him, Ethan _**hates**_ him." Sylvia understood now, why Irina was hesitant on acting. But she wasn't surprised. Irina was one of the more independent exorcists, enough to have made Team Helios, except she declined the position because it meant working for Valper.

"We don't know."

Irina smiled sadly, "I see."

She tried to throw Sylvia across the room, but Sylvia turned and used the momentum to launch Irina instead, who landed on the floor heavily, "Irina!"

She looked up at Issei, "I'm fine!"

Sylvia glanced back at Ethan, who disappeared, "Fine, Ethan...I'll join you as a villain."

"You bastard! I thought you were on our side!" Issei shouted. He ran at her, and Sylvia calculated his speed, and how long he would take to reach her if she moved.

She ducked and ran at him, reaching upwards, planting her hand on his stomach and using his momentum to fling him into various pews.

Sylvia picked up Irina's Excalibur, and held it to Issei's chest, "Stay down."

She saw his fingers twitch and quickly tried to incapacitate him. "Dressu break!"

Her dress tore to shreds, leaving her bare skin exposed to the night air. She scowled but had to divert her attention when Koneko hurled a pew at Sylvia. She ducked out of the way and felt a looming, wrathful maisa envelop her.

She twisted to the side as a sword swung her way. Sylvia blocked the strike from Kiba before using a kick to the chest to send him backwards. He landed on his feet clutching his chest and rushed her again. Sylvia watched the sword cut and vanish as he swung it with such force it was invisible, but listening to the world around her, she managed to deflect and redirect all attacks.

Freed joined the fight again, pushing Kiba away from his ally, and Sylvia had to use two hands to block Xenovia's strike, who appeared in front of her dropping the entire weight of her blade on Sylvia. "Let go of that sword, you _**villain**_!"

Sylvia was being crushed. It wasn't under the weight of Xenovia's push, she could handle that, but the sword was exerting a pressure that was keeping her in place while dragging her down.

She shifted her weight to the side, letting the sword crash into the stone. Xenovia had just removed the blade when a foot came along and kicked her right in the stomach. Sylvia saw the exorcist cough up blood as she flew back meters.

"Despicable, aiming to kill a friend without remorse just because you were deceived." Ethan's killing intent was palpable, something she rarely ever saw, even when he was aiming to kill Strays. She vaguely remembered only one other time it happened, when that one mage, Oliver Pallier, was taunting him.

She was sure he was more angry that Xenovia was killing an old friend and ally of hers over the fact Xenovia was killing Sylvia, which made her heart long for his sympathy.

Ethan dropped his jacket, "Best I can offer. Put it on."

Turning his attention to a seething Xenovia, he snarled, "Why don't you kill someone you hate, aim it at something worthwhile, huh?"

Irina stood up, and Sylvia felt the sword being taken from her hands. Ethan glanced over at Irina, and their eyes met for a long moment. "Alright," Ethan sighed. "Just don't try to kill me."

Xenovia didn't hear his words to her longtime partner and charged ahead, Irina joining her side by striking as quick as a viper at a blind spot.

Ethan exhaled, and Sylvia watched in awe as he dodged their attacks perfectly. The way he moved was no different than her using Double, possibly even Triple Accel, an ability she was taught by her mage-killer teacher.

Ethan never drew his sword, simply smacking the duo exorcists with the flat of his scabbard, the force sending them flipping high into the air. They spun in the air and landed on their feet. Ethan seemed to wince, but he kept himself still and impassive. As they attacked from two sides.

"Oh?" Freed exclaimed, "You're back, pardner? Is the boss safe?"

"Why else would I be here?"

Freed revealed his canines, "Then there's no reason for me to stay anymore."

"Wait!" But Freed threw down an object, which Ethan reacted to by covering Sylvia with his body. He covered her ears and face with his hands and chest, just as she felt an explosion go off. From the ringing in her mind and the light that accompanied the explosion, she assumed it was a flashbang.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." Sylvia pulled herself away and called to Ethan, but he didn't seem to hear. She pulled his sleeve and he smiled sheepishly, pointing to his ears.

"I can't hear."

The devils quickly recovered from the flashbang, and curiously, Irina and Xenovia recovered rather quickly too. The two chased after the retreating Freed and Kiba joined them, avoiding Koneko and Issei.

As the final two ran out, Sylvia saw shadows pass over the broken roof. Sylvia pointed and Ethan glanced up, pushing Sylvia towards the front of the building. "We should join them."

She was worried about the reaction of the devils when they found out the two of them helped Valper escape.

"How are we going to explain ourselves?"

His hearing seemed to have returned when he looked at her, "Just tell them what I did. He suspects Kokabiel, so that's who we need to pin down."

Sylvia felt uneasy, as if something would go wrong.

That came true when Issei grabbed Ethan's shirt when the two of them exited the abandoned building. "You bastard!"

Ethan stayed silent, looking directly at Issei's eyes with a bored look, "You guys were on our side, weren't you?"

"We are allies, yes."

"Then why did you let Valper escape?!" He yelled, "You saw what he did to Kiba! He doesn't deserve to live!"

"You speak as if I don't know what he does," Ethan replied. "I know fully well what he did."

"Then _why?_ " Sylvia was aware of a second peerage with Rias, everyone watching silently at Issei's loss of temper. "Why let the demon go?"

"As bad as everyone makes him out to be, he's a man with a conscience. There's no way to avoid torturing test subjects, that's a given fact. But throwing aside his work, killing a whole set of test subjects is not something he would do. Not without good reason."

"And you know this?" Issei asked with a sneer. "Not based on your stupid guesses?"

"I've seen his first set of subjects with my own eyes, I've been with them as I was younger. Same with Freed, even though he is five years younger than I, and far different level, we were allowed to mingle while Valper was making as much progress as he could. Think it as an unethical foster home." Ethan sighed and looked up at the sky, before scowling at Issei. "But I never saw Kiba. Never."

Issei stared at Ethan, "What the hell do you mean?"

"So far, I think it's the work of a Fallen Angel ally gone rogue, I know of a Fallen who works for him. Seen and aided Valper in his work. Kiba must be a secret project of that Fallen, not Valper."

"And why should I believe you?" Issei snarled in return.

"That's what you've been asking for so long, and refuse to change your mind," Ethan glared at Issei before scoffing and turning around.

"You don't need to," Ethan answered, Sylvia was looking over at Rias when he said that and turned her head quickly at his dismissive response. "I know what I know for years, and my superiors know how to conduct their research to support my evidence. You take our word or oppose our decisions. Up to you. But you're going to be wrong each and every time you oppose us, because they make one conclusion after simulating billions."

The two glared at each other for a while longer before Issei let go of Ethan's shirt silently.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Rias asked. "My peerage went out of line to chase Valper, but you apprehended him first. Now what?"

Ethan shrugged, "Not sure what yet. The captain is going to interrogate Valper, and we will see what we need to know. But I'm piecing together some things I can share."

Rias crossed her arms, "Okay, then share."

Ethan waved to the dark-haired woman with rimmed glasses, "I believe you are Sona, correct?"

"Yes, I am. You know of me?"

"If it weren't for the Foundation database, I probably wouldn't have," he remarked and beckoned everyone to stand closer. "So your slightly familiar with Valper based on what I said, and that he has a so-called partner, a Fallen Angel that goes by the name of Kokabiel."

Sona and Rias gave each other concerned looks.

"Buchou, you know this guy?" Issei asked.

"You too, Kaichou?" The teen who supported Issei's assault named Genshirou Saji added. Both devil kings nodded.

Ethan raised an eyebrow, then nodded, proceeding to go on. Before he continued, Sylvia tugged his sleeve, "Wait." She looked at Rias and Sona, "Do you guys know Kokabiel? Maybe we can determine if it is certainly him behind all this?"

They shook their heads, "No, all we know is that he is a Kadre who fought in the Three Faction War years ago."

"Hm." Sylvia watched Ethan scowl, then mutter, "Perhaps? Damn, if that's the case..." Everyone looked at him curiously, which he stood thinking for several seconds. Eventually, he shook his head, "It's only a guess, but I can't make conclusion without knowing him personally. Onto what I was say-"

Rias held up a hand, "Wait. Why not tell us your guess?"

Ethan stared at her and shrugged, "Fine. Why else would Kokabiel be trying to replicate Valper's supersoldiers? To create an army that is strong and reliable. Under _his_ complete control. Then lead that army to ignite a war."

He waved a hand dismissively, "But that's a guess. I don't know him, so I can't say for sure."

Sylvia saw that the kings shared an agreement, but she couldn't tell what they agreed on. "Back to what I was saying, Kokabiel is someone who acts like he is working for Valper, the key word being ' _ **acts**_ '. He is using Valper and his research to further his own goals."

"You are certain of this?" Sona asked with a frown.

"Not without a doubt," Ethan responded, crossing his arms, "but I can support that with a lot of evidence over the months I worked for Team Helios. Such as missions that Valper wouldn't like sending us on, or Valper making decisions I know he would normally refuse to make."

"Not to mention, it seems Valper knows Kiba," Ethan added. "But his reaction is weird, it isn't shock that Kiba is alive, but something else."

"Relief?"

"No," Ethan scoffed, "He isn't someone to feel compassion, I can state that from personal experience. He was caught off guard by Kiba being alive, but he's not someone guilty or innocent.

"Possibly regret, if I were to pick an emotion," Ethan mused, "So I said Kiba was a subject of Kokabiel's. It was immoral for one reason or another, but Kokabiel didn't care and continued. When Valper found out, the first thing he thought of was to destroy everything. All the evidence, despite not wanting to, as they were all still kids. Somehow, Kiba is alive, though."

Sylvia saw a fleeting emotion pass Rias's face, as if understanding, prompting her to ask. "It's because you revived him as a devil."

Ethan seemed lost, then it clicked, "Ah. That makes a lot of sense, actually. Right. But that's a guess I'm only throwing out there, does it line up, Rias?"

The king of the Gremory peerage nodded slowly, "It does, actually. Enough for me to not doubt what you're saying. I was surprised finding Yuuto where he was that night. But I didn't think to try to look where he came from."

He nodded, "I see. That's just Kiba, by the way. We've recently encountered more test subjects at a facility that posed as a university. Whether it is Kokabiel's handiwork or not is a toss up. Point is, Kiba isn't the only person Kokabiel could have worked on."

Everyone became concerned immediately, and Ethan added, "Not to mention who knows how successful he is at making a powerful Holy Sword user. That's what we're going to try to find out. For now, look for Kiba, Irina, and Xenovia while watching your backs. I know Kokabiel has minions, but I have never seen what they can do or how powerful they are. Where Kokabiel is, likely there are his devotees."

Rias nodded solemnly, "I don't like how you're leaving as soon as you got what you came here for."

Ethan let out a soft exhale, "Understandable. But I promise we'll return. I _**know**_ our job is far from done here."

He put a hand on Sylvia's shoulder, "Let's go."

She followed him out the forest, glancing back to see the peerages watching them both. Ethan called a number and waited for someone to pick up, "Michael? Where do we go now?

"The safehouse?

"Alright, are we supposed to walk there?" Ethan nodded then answered, "Thanks."

They left the forest and found themselves waiting at a sidewalk. Sylvia pulled Ethan's jacket closer as the night grew colder. Ethan crossed his arms, making no clear move to stay closer to her than he already was, the gap between them staying as large as it was before.

As usual.

She shielded her eyes as a vehicle approached, and once it rolled to a stop beside them, Weinberg stepped out from the driver's side and scowled at the duo before him.

"What the fuck is this? You two go fucking in the forest when I was doing work? Fucking kids."

Ethan was about to speak up when Weinberg rolled his eyes, "I'm jesting. Get in the car."

* * *

Sylvia sat on the edge of the bed as she pulled a shirt over her head. Standing up, she pulled on spandex, before slipping into the Foundation-issued MTF gear and adjusting the armor.

She kept her helmet under her arm as she stared at the MTF Tau-9 emblem on her shoulder.

 _ **[Vitals: Responsive]**_

She couldn't escape the Foundation, unfortunately, but at least she was more confident in the Foundation now than she was before. Sylvia wasn't officially admitted back into the Foundation, but since she _was_ a former member and currently still in ties with them, she was given a pass to be temporarily readmitted.

Finding her way to a specific corridor, Sylvia joined Ethan's side as he watched from the window. Eric stood beside him, crossing his arms, watching Valper speak to the Church mediators while a couple Foundation employee took notes in a seat nearby.

"How is it?"

"Cooperative," Ethan answered curtly. "Though we haven't gotten anywhere in the past five minutes because they insist he was continuing the Holy Sword Wielder experiments and he keeps denying he is doing that."

"How about the Holy Sword engineering? Has he admitted to that?"

Ethan nodded, his frown lightening up, "And apologizing for stealing three Excaliburs."

Weinbwrg appeared beside the Foundation employees, "We're still wasting time?"

"Gotten nowhere since you left, sir."

"Call them out. I'm sending in Sakamoto and Lyyneheym."

The employee gave him a confused expression, "Can they even ask the proper questions?"

"These men can worry about the Church politics later. We're more concerned about what Kokabiel is doing at this very moment."

Weinberg tapped on the glass and the man standing inside watching the interrogation stepped outside.

With his Oxford shirt under his red coat and grey slacks, Azazel stepped outside the room, "What's up?"

"Get those two inside out of here for now. I'm sending in Sakamoto and Lyyneheym," Weinberg stated.

"Wait," Sylvia interjected. "I think we can get more asking you a few questions."

Azazel tilted his head, eyebrow raised, "You've got me interested. Go ahead."

"You know Kokabiel?"

"What about him?" The man's expression became more serious, his mouth thinning into a line as he began to pay more attention. The unspoken answer was obvious, _Very well._

"Did you know he worked with Valper?"

Azazel leaned back and glanced at the one way mirror. "No, but I do know he vanished off the radar for a while. Something about making research for the Sacred Gears, which I thought was suspicious, but he seemed genuine enough I thought he had a change of heart."

"What was his opinion on the Three Faction War ending?"

Azazel seemed interested in the line of questioning. "He actually hated the war ended. Despite us on the verge on dying out, Kokabiel adamantly believed we would win. For a long while, he pressed on starting the war again. Eventually, he just stopped speaking about it."

"Would he do anything to continue that war?"

He gave a moment of thought, "I would say no...but that's not too hard to see happening, if I were honest."

"If it meant making a secret army."

Azazel looked over at the window as Valper became slightly irritated. "..."

"So it is possible?"

"Very, _very_ possible. And I don't like it." Azazel sighed and rubbed his temples, "After he vehemently showed his disdain for the fact I was helping humans, and most especially the Foundation, I should have begun keeping an eye on him. I grew lax, and now war is looming over the horizon, huh?"

Weinberg picked up his cellphone as it rang, "Weinberg.

"The fuck? I'm sending Sakamoto and Lyyneheym over." He hung up and nodded to Ethan, "You know how to drive?"

"Yeah," he responded.

"Go to Curie's home. Curie called and Irina is fucked up beyond belief. She's treating the girl now, so she'll live."

Weinberg pointed to Azazel, "Meanwhile, we're gonna have a talk, you lax douche."

The Kadre sighed, "I knew that was coming the moment this happened. Alright..."

Ethan marched off as Sylvia followed him out of the safehouse to the car, which he started up and pulled away from the curb smoothly, the two avoiding any exchange of words. She kept her eyes at the scenery around them as he drove through the streets of the quiet town.

Pondering on the situation between herself and him, she almost didn't notice a dominating presence that was coming from Kuoh Academy's direction. "Hey, something is going on there."

"I can feel it," he responded. "I'm more worried about Irina."

She bit her lips and looked at him as he stared straight ahead, and made a U-turn onto the curb in front of Curie's home. The woman was already outside the door waiting for them before they exited the car, keeping her hands behind her back as she watched them exit.

"How's Irina?" Ethan asked as he jogged down the path, Sylvia right behind. The woman turned around and led them inside.

"She'll live. I'm more worried about the Gremory Peerage."

"You mean _we_ should be worried about them," Ethan observed. Curie didn't acknowledge his statement and gestured to Irina laying on the couch.

"Her injuries were horrible, some deep cut wounds and other stab wounds, but nothing I couldn't handle. She'll be sore for a long time after waking up, however."

Ethan nodded, "As long as she lives."

Curie snapped her fingers, "I think it is about time you go to Kokabiel."

"Fine. But can we make it in time?"

"I'll teleport you two." She pointed to the ground and a magic circle appeared instantly. The blinding light forced them to shut their eyes and when the light died, they were on the lawn of another house.

"Oho, look who came in." Sylvia looked up at the sky as the voice snarled with amusement. "Team Helios of Valper's dogs."

Sylvia scanned her surroundings, ignoring the words of the pale, grinning man donning a large, gaping cape, floating with his five pairs of wings as he sneered down at the group with his glowing red eyes.

On the ground was a slouching, thin man in a priest's clothes bearing a wild smile on his face, "Yoyoyo!"

"What are you doing, Freed?" Ethan asked.

The man shrugged, "Getting the ability to wield four Excaliburs as one, _duh_. Then maybe I can get pretty girl to submit to me."

Sylvia took a deep breath, "I'd rather die than let you do that."

"No worries, I'll just fuck your corpse." She knew Freed and by his tone, she had no doubt he would be willing to do just that.

"Enough with that," Kokabiel snarled. "Worry about your fantasies later, right now, we will combine those Excaliburs you have before wiping out the little sister of the head Lucifer."

Ethan drew a sword, but Kokabiel fired a javelin at his direction, which he barely dodged. Kokabiel stared impassively for a second before scoffing, "Kuoh. Right now."

"Okie New Boss!" Freed threw down a flashbang, and while the devils were caught off guard, both Sylvia and Ethan were prepared. Both managed to evade the worst effects and Sylvia began running ahead, but Ethan held her back.

"What are you doing?"

"Freed has four Excaliburs, not to mention Kokabiel is a Kadre. Neither of us can handle it ourselves, I doubt even the peerage can. I'm calling Weinberg and let him call the O5 council. Maybe they can authorize a better team in."

Sylvia stomped her feet and clicked her tongue. " _Fine._ "

He made the call as the devils recovered and Sylvia urged them to go ahead as the two of them stayed behind. Eventually, Ethan was able to give her some news after several minutes passed. "The O5 reacted quickly, they've consulted with Azazel on the power of Kokabiel and are sending in MTF Omega-7."

"What's special about them?" Sylvia asked as they began sprinting for the Academy. "Do they have weapons that can take down a Kadre?"

"Not necessarily a weapon," Ethan replied. "They have a person who will take him down. We need to stall as long as we can so the weapon will get here."

"Do you know who the person is?"

"No. All he said is that they're sending SCP-076. Hell if I know who that is. But he, or she, is dangerous enough where they alone can handle the situation. The MTF that is coming is only to be a countermeasure to him."

Sylvia found herself staring at him before smiling at the grim expression on his face. "Then all we need to do is to stay alive until they arrive, isn't that right?"

"..." His expression didn't change. "Yeah."

She gave Ethan a light punch as they slowed to a jog outside the academy, "You'll make it out, Ethan. I promise I'll do anything to keep you alive."

Ethan smiled sadly, "Glad to hear."

Sylvia saw Sona looking down at them from the skies and grabbed Ethan's sleeve. "Ethan."

He looked at her silently.

"I mean what I said. You will live."

He chuckled and shook his head, "I'm still being cold to you, aren't I?" Sylvia felt her stomach churn and nodded once cautiously. Ethan sighed. "Sorry. Make it out as usual?"

"Just like every time before," she replied with a small smile.

"Sona!" Ethan called up towards the king of the Sitri peerage, "There will be more people coming. They'll be humans armed to the teeth with weapons, and be bringing a single person who doesn't belong in that crowd. Let them in when they arrive."

"Understood. Pray that not many people know of this event, as I can't differentiate between your allies and our enemies."

"I already am."

They were able to pass the barrier without any problems, and found themselves on a battlefield.

Freed was swinging wildly, fighting Xenovia as Kiba sent demonic swords everywhere.

To Ethan, it was strange that Kiba and Xenovia were here, and his confusion took a wild turn as Kiba sent a wave of weapons towards both of them.

"What the hell is with Kiba?" Ethan yelled over to Rias as Sylvia stared in shock before shaking her head and analyzing the rest of the place. Asia was in the back, ignored by everyone, surprisingly. Akeno, Issei, and Koneko were occupied with a beast.

Rias was holding a cut wound on her arm, "Kokabiel did something to Yuuto."

She raised a magic circle and absorbed a pillar of flames from a three-headed dog.

For a second, she thought it was Cerberus, but she knew for a fact the actual dog was as large as Fenrir, more ferocious, and fatally intelligent.

Kokabiel laughed, "Do you like it? My guinea pig? A master swordsman who raises no suspicions, strong enough to carry a light element and vengeful enough to become a devil, with a soul that I can manipulate. I don't even need by useless pawns in Kuoh! You guys can barely handle these two."

Sylvia stared at Kiba with Ethan as the battle waged on, with Kokabiel cackling high above in the night sky. The ORC was down a member, three people occupied with a Cerberus, while the only church member experienced enough to fight is clashing swords with the best exorcist in melee combat.

"Then why not kill him?"

Rias stared at in anger and shock at such an idea. "Why? We need to save him!"

"He's dead. Can't you tell? Good as dead, anyway."

Before Sylvia realized it, she send a hand flying across his face. "STUPID, HEARTLESS BASTARD! WHO THE HELL YOU THINK YOU ARE TOSSING ASIDE FRIENDS LIKE THAT?"

"I don't like it either-"

She grabbed his shirt and threw a punch into his jaw. "You _**liar**_."

But she stared into his eyes and saw the hollow expression. His regrets, from those eyes, she saw he was playing the Devil's Advocate.

He looked away, "I'm going to repeat myself, Sylvia. Kiba is dead, you and I can both feel that. We _could_ bring him back, but only one person can flip that switch."

A finger was aimed at Kokabiel, "His creator. You really think he'll succumb to some Talk-no-jutsu? To some prattle about love and friendship? Kiba is gone, and you idealistic fucks should either face reality, or we all die."

Rias shook her head, the eyes hardening and shining with hate, "No."

Ethan nodded twice, then exhaled and nodded again as he closed his eyes. Slapping away Sylvia's hand, he drew a sword from a scabbard, then the second, the steel materializing as it left its sheath. "Okay. Then I'll be the first to die. Sit back and pray, cause God isn't going to help."

Ethan paused and looked over his shoulder, "Oh, right. You're filthy devils. Whatever being you worship: Satan, Lucifer, Lilith, whoever. Nobody is saving you. Only you can save yourself. Make your choice when I'm dead, alright? Kuoh is going to be relying on _**you**_ hopeless fucks."

With those, he was gone, joining Xenovia clashing with Freed. Sylvia heard Xenovia shout a warning and Freed give a maniacal grin as the sword swung at Ethan.

His first shattered upon impact, the drastic gap in power from a Church creation to a partial holy relic. But the second sword refused to budge, instead exploding and sending the kinetic energy back at Freed, sending him flying.

Ethan whirled around and swatted two swords flung at Ethan from Kiba and he sidestepped and danced away from all the blades and points protruding from the earth. At a flat stretch of land, he sprinted at Freed, who barely managed to get up and block the strike.

Sylvia diverted her attention from the fight and scowled at the three-headed beast that was beginning to slow. "Alright, let's handle this so we can save Kiba."

Rias looked forlornly at Ethan who was screaming at Freed, "Yes. Let's hurry."

With a strike of lightning, the beast howled and dropped to the floor, the queen of the Gremory peerage floating down with an, "Ara ara, that was more annoying than I hoped it to be."

The king smiled, "Good job, Akeno."

"Ho, not bad," Kokabiel announced from the top of his throne. With the snap of his fingers, three fissures appeared, and three more beasts emerged. "Try handling three more."

Rias sneered and began to shout back, but Sylvia held up a hand, "Get your peerage and let them rest for a bit. I'll protect you guys."

She seemed shocked, "On your own?!"

Sylvia grinned, winking, "You'll get a glimpse of my abilities."

Feeling the ground tremble, Sylvia glanced up and watched the three beasts charge. Taking a breath, she felt time slow. Gathering mana into her legs and arm, Sylvia ran forward, grabbing a sword from Kiba's Sword Birth.

Their heads turned and Sylvia flung several swords their way. Some met their mark, digging into the eyes of three heads, others sunk into the calves and body of the dogs. They howled and lowered their heads to paw at the wounds, but the least injured recovered quickly and sprinted.

"Oh shit," she cursed as the speed caught her off-guard,a football's length covered in two strides. Timing the jump just right, she sailed over the heads and pumped all the mana from her arm into her fist as it connected with the dog's spine.

She felt the bones snap and the dog yelp before slamming into the dirt and exploding into ash. Though it covered her vision, she knew the second and third dog recovered enough to attack. Sylvia took a calm step back as one head bit into thin air and sent a fist shattering its teeth before leaping back as the third dog crashed into the second.

Both tumbled into the dirt and five heads snarled at one another while getting up unsteadily, one whimpering as blood fell from its mouth.

Ethan came flying in out from the sky and landed on the back of one beast. Sylvia widened her eyes when she saw blood fly. "Ethan! Get behind the Cerberus!"

He turned his head, and began to roll off as one became interested in a slightly larger than normal tick.

Too slow. Sylvia gritted her teeth and ran at the beasts. She jumped off the ground and kicked the side of one, using it as a pad to bring herself onto the back Ethan was on as the beast realized it was prey.

She grabbed Ethan and leaped down. Shortly after, lightning struck one beast down, and a writhing red ball streaked with black marks annihilated another. "Thanks for the help," Rias exhaled as the noise faded from her ears, "I never expected you to be..."

"Dashing?" Sylvia smiled as Ethan held onto his side while climbing out of her arms.

"Oho," Kokabiel called, "So that's your physical abilities? Not bad for the titled Strongest Exorcist."

Rias's eyes darted over to her quickly, before returning to Kokabiel. "What about upholding that title of Strongest Magician, Lyyneheym?"

The pale face became consumed with the wild, canine grin, "The abilities supposedly ' _ **surpassing'**_ Dulio?"

Ethan shook his head, "No way. No way in hell are you killing yourself."

Sylvia nodded, "I won't."

Rias looked over, "What does he mean by Strongest Magician?"

Sylvia shook her head, "Contest I did when I was just around eighteen. Strongest mages from all over the world fought, and I came out at top."

"That's the short story," Ethan added. "She is not using her abilities, she'll di-"

"Buchou!" Akeno shouted, as the trio heard the shattering of glass, from several barriers breaking.

During the conversation, Kokabiel lazily sent a spear shooting at Rias, who stood still as she tried to put up a barrier.

"Sylvia! No!"

The spear stopped mid-air, the vibration of the area of impact clearly visible, exploding into shards of light.

Her fingers were tingling from the action, "It was nothing, Ethan."

 _ **[Live Report: Blood flow has been interrupted, organs are still responsive.]**_

"Hmm," Kokabiel mused as everyone stared, "So simply...just by thinking. Faster than speech. Impressive."

He gave a dismissive wave of his hand and a wall of spears were aimed their way. "Hmph."

Ethan stepped forward, but Kokabiel gave a surprised shout as his throne from the skies was pulled down, right into the path of the weapons.

They impaled the throne and him, all over every inch of his body. Kokabiel screamed and howled in agony as he took the brunt of his own attack, snarling as his throne crashed into the dirt, along with its occupant.

 _ **[Live Report: Few blood vessels have ruptured in the head. All organs are responsive.]**_

Sylvia wiped at her forehead, swatting at the sweat, then her mouth, hand coming away with blood.

"Your nose."

"I know," she replied to Ethan's words.

"Stupid fool."

"I had to-"

"I get it. Stop."

A murderous intent filled the air, dragging and pushing them all down. "You outrageous brat!"

Sylvia tapped Ethan's arm, "Stay with me?"

"...Yeah."

"I can't promise I won't use magic," Sylvia said. "As long as you're here with me, I know we stand a chance."

Kokabiel slowly rose from the seat, grunting as he moved, before looking directly at them as he wiped the blood off his face, "You're actually dragging me down to your level. That's asking for death."

"Where's the Foundation?" Ethan muttered. Sylvia grabbed his hand as Kokabiel's eyes began to shine. "Sorry."

They ran at the Kadre, and the man giving a mad grin when he raised his hand, only to pause when the magic circles in front of his palm shattered in mid-formation.

 _ **[Live Report: Blood flow has been interrupted. Brain has been unresponsive in certain areas for microseconds. All other organs responsive in the measured time.]**_

"What?" Sylvia struck, which Kokabiel blocked, but before he could retaliate, Ethan appeared at his back, slashing at the wings.

It did little damage, if any, but Kokabiel was distracted for long enough. She created a magic circle underneath Kokabiel's chin, the light distracting him momentarily.

Ethan cut his hand off as the fire seared his face. He screamed and spat out profanities at the two. However, Kokabiel recovered too quickly and smacked Ethan with his wing, the steel feathers lacerating his entire torso.

"Yah-HAHA!" Sylvia rolled as the fused Excalibur sailed over her back. She summoned a magic circle and sent a bolt of lightning right at Freed, who was recovering from the wide swing.

He yelped and collapsed twitching as he fought the paralysis. She refocused her attention to Ethan and Kokabiel, feeling a chill go down her spine.

Kokabiel was getting aggravated with Ethan, she could see. He was making no progress whittling the boy, and he wasn't able to focus long enough to bring in a fatal attack.

He spread his wings, forcing Ethan to step back, which was the opportunity the Kadre used to take off into the air, only to stop when Sylvia created a massive pressure point in the air.

 _ **[Live Report: Brain had completely shut in a certain area. Undetermined effect on agent.**_ _Foundation note: This is outside of human knowledge, but this area appears to be related to magical sensory._ _ **All other organs responsive.]**_

The new "gravity" pulled Kokabiel slowly to the ground, despite his efforts to fight it. Ethan was yelling, approaching Sylvia at a dangerous pace, and she realized her mistake too late.

The swords from Kiba stabbed into her legs and chest, piercing her organs.

 _ **[WARNING - Lungs damaged, stomach lacerated, liver pierced, kidneys pierced. All organs except the brain and heart is damaged. Agent in critical condition.]**_

She was propped upright, and laughed as she realized she didn't die outright. Rias was beside her, calling for a girl named Asia.

 _ **[Live Report: Agent under extreme trauma. Agent under effects of shock. Several tests have yielded no response from organs. No blood loss. All orifices are sealed by foreign objects.]**_

"You'll be fine, stay put."

Sylvia smiled, "Not going...anywhere, don't worry."

"I...I can't heal her!" Asia cried, her frustration apparent. "I don't know what's going on!"

"Holy magic with demonic," Sylvia breathed out as she tried to move without success. "Oil...and water. Can't."

 _ **[Live Report: Agents vitals are failing. Estimated time until death: Five minutes.]**_

Rias looked over at Ethan, who was still occupied with Kokabiel, "He...I can't believe it. You're here dying and yet he doesn't care?"

"I know he does..." Sylvia shut her eyes. "Mission first, Rias, always."

"But you're dying!"

 _ **[Live Report: Estimated time until death: Four minutes.]**_

"I don't get it sometimes," she sighed and winced when her stomach clung to a blade. "If he stops fighting, we all die."

Her earing became less sharp, and Sylvia inhaled slowly, feeling the tip of a blade poke her lungs.

She felt her hair stand up before her hearing went away from a blast of magic. She might have heard shouting, but she wasn't certain of it. She couldn't tell anymore, but she was certain of the hands cradling her, and the person in front of her.

 _ **[Live Report: Estimated time until death: Three minutes. All foreign objects have vanished, Agent is now undergoing major blood loss.]**_

His voice was soothing, calming. A voice she recognized. Her heart skipped a beat, if it could. "Ethan?"

All white noise was gone, she could hear only his voice. "Don't talk. Just stay here with me, yeah?"

 _ **[Live Report: No signs of organ recovery. Estimated time until death: Two minutes.]**_

She tried to press herself closer to him, and he pulled her to his chest. "Love...you."

"I regret not loving you back, Sylvia. I'm sorry. Maybe next time?"

 _ **[Live Report: Estimated time until death: One minute.]**_

Sylvia wasn't she if she nodded, but she felt happy. "...Warm."

"Am I?" he asked. "I'm glad. Maybe in our next life, we can hold each other more."

 _ **[Live Report: Agent is past estimated time of death. Organs are still in critical condition, no improvement noted.]**_

 _ **[Vitals: Unresponsive. Agent Lyyneheym is now deceased. KIA.]**_

* * *

 _ **[Signal Intercepted]**_

The young, Asian man ran his fingers through his hair, "Why didn't you tell me of her earlier?"

His companion looked out the window towards the drag, purple sky. "I had no intention to, because I underestimated her."

The man glared at his companion, "Do elaborate, Georg."

Georg shrugged, "When I first saw her at the competition, I didn't think too much of her, except that she was able to cast spells far quicker than a lot of magicians. Everyone needed incantations or a lengthy summon, but she could essentially cast her magic instantly."

"Of course, that didn't raise any alarms."

"No," Georg replied. "Speed isn't necessarily too deciding a factor. Even as fast at the spells were, her magic didn't really pack a punch."

"Hm." The Asian man sat back and rubbed his chin.

"But what got me thinking was when she was provoked by the finalist...Oliver Page, I think his name was? It was a while back, so forgive my memory of a uncommon name. I won't go in-depth on what angered her, but she flipped a switch. Gravity was changed, she unleashed spells of absurd magnitude. And soon, I realized that her mana didn't come just from herself, but from the world."

"So, Sylvia is the strongest magician, then. She has a literal infinite mana pool."

Georg shook his head, "On paper, yes. But she's a human tapping into that absurd pool without any magic circle, without any control. There's only so much she could take summoning the largest meteorites and sending the fastest spears into the throat. I remember that companion of hers put himself between her and Oliver to keep her from killing herself. If she was any other species than a human, it would have been even more one-sided."

"But remember," the Asian man responded, "I don't care about anyone non-human."

"Ah, but the catch is, you have an extremely well-trained mage, Cao Cao."

Cao Cao stared at Georg for the longest time, "Can you really hone her?"

"Of course. Sylvia is a little too old for that 'perfect apprentice' range, but nobody is too old to master their magic."

He stood and stretched, "Well then, if that's the case, Sylvia only has to live until we arrive, right? How hard can that be?"

 _ **[Connection Lost]**_

* * *

 **A/N: I might release the part 2 early, I'll see what I can do. Since semester is over, now I have a lot more time to work on chapters. But then there are other stuff I also want to do, so it'll depend on my mood and what I want to do over the summer... Hope you guys enjoyed!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **Reviews:**

 **DT3:** Ohoho! Maybe, but let's go with something different with Siegfried ;)

You'll see quite soon on what happens with him. I agree, Foundation and GOC have a pretty neat love-hate relationship, which makes for pretty interesting tales in the wikia. Thanks, I will do my best not to overwork myself. * _Proceeds to ignore mystery person_ *

 **doomqwer:** Here's the first major event of the 2440 story, a Fallen who is working to trash the alliance among all the three Factions. :)

 **FanBoy01:** Yes, yes we do. Shame there aren't more, but maybe because there are so many to choose from to use as a Big Baddy, you'll be seeing more mundane SCP after this arc is over...in _**Kyoto**_.

That's for everyone to know. Moving to Kyoto after Kokabiel is down, wonder what I can do next...

 **.**

 **.**

 **Here's a list of all SCPs and "SCPs", used in the story so far. All new ones will be bolded, edited ones will be bolded and underlined:**

JSCP will denote a named anomaly inspired by sources other than the SCP(as a prefix, X denotes object, L will denote location, and C will denote an event)

SSCP will denote a subject similar to an already existing SCP, basically SCPs I'd like to use, but is too dangerous for DxD and a less equipped group like Badger Squad to actually handle.

OSCP will be anything that I can think of that is not inspired by anything, an "OC" SCP(won't mean someone did something similar though)

 _ **Chapter 1:**_

JSCP-X001: Not officially made, but think of SCP-096 except multiple times its size. And without its signature freakout stage.

 _ **Chapter 2:**_

No anomalies exist in the second file.

 _ **Chapter 3:**_

[EXPLAINED]: Just a stray devil. Not an anomaly

SCP-2440: The main SCP, in case you guys haven't figured it out by now, just go ahead and google SCP-2440 ;)

 _ **Chapter 4:**_

SCP-1730: This is the location of the chapter, although more specifically, the "depths" of the anomaly.

SCP-2316: The original Site-13 of SCP-1730 had this anomaly, so I thought it'd make sense that there is more than just one area that 2316 has occupied.

[PENDING]: Personal SCP, think Rashaka Demon from Akame ga Kill for anomaly 1, a human at the peak of all its abilities for anomaly 2, and similar to SCP-106 for anomaly 3

 _ **Chapter 5:**_

SSCP-X610: A recreation of SCP-610, except it does not seem to grow or actively aim to infect and consume organisms.

SSCP-X610-1: Organisms that are "hosts" for JSCP-X610, very much like bloaters in post-apocolyptic video games, they tend to explode to shower unfortunate operators with JSCP-X610, which would ultimately spell death.

SSCP-X096: The flesh hungry test subjects are failed instances of a recreation of SCP-096, they can be aggressive, but it takes prolonged period of time for them to register being seen and even longer to become agitated.

 _ **Chapter 6:**_

No anomalies exist in the sixth file.

 _ **Chapter 7:**_

 **No anomalies exist in the seventh file.**

 **Possible anomaly to be noted: Devil going by the name of Yuuto Kiba had abruptly switched loyalties according to statements made by the ORC. No telemetry records are available, but [REDACTED] and Kiba had become uncontrollable upon the made statements. Matches the tests done on SSCP-X096 and [DATA EXPUNGED].**


	8. The Concerning Voice

**Level 3 Access Recognized - Opening File 8: The Concerning Voice**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: Remember that I own nothing from the SCP wikia nor DxD.**

* * *

 **Item #:** JSCP-X0742

 **Object Class:** Euclid

 **Special Containment Procedures:** Joint Operations SCP-0742 should be kept in a pocket dimension monitored by MTF █████████, due to its failure to be contained by normal means (See Incident Log X0742-01).

The pocket dimension has been screened and reviewed by the Foundation thaumaturgical staff and cleared as unviolated. Due to being publically available to any user with knowledge of the summoning incantation, precautions were made to prevent a containment breach (See Addendum X0742-d). Additionally, see below.

Remotely activated charges are set inside the barrier to the pocket dimension as a temporary method to dissuade inappropriate access from any persons other than the currently selected individual.

The current user must have an active connection to Site ██ and the MTF monitoring the pocket dimension in order to draw the Joint Operations SCP-0742 abruptly. If the current user does not have an active line, the barrier must be broken and ███████████ must pass before the user makes contact with Joint Operations SCP-0742. Failure to do so otherwise will result in the explosives being activated to temporarily delay the intrusion, allowing MTF █████████ to retrieve and secure Joint Operations SCP-0742 until further notice.

 **Description:** Joint Operations SCP-0742 is a 170 cm long broadsword with a blue blade and gold border running over the entire edge. The blade spans approximately 33 cm at the thickest part of the blade, the portion seemingly for puncturing. The hilt is approximately 44 cm long, with a semicircle guard facing the front of the blade.

Tests have been conducted to test the durability of Joint Operations SCP-0742 in various locations, from [REDACTED]. Joint Operations SCP-0742 has proven to have durability beyond normal means, matching the description of [REDACTED].

Outside of its durability, Joint Operations SCP-0742 emits a psychic signal that hinders the physical movement of all sentient beings that can view Joint Operations SCP-0742.

This psychic signal can be manipulated to serve various purposes, but this varies from user to user. Additionally, Joint Operations SCP-0742 has been tested and confirmed to be able to cut through any and all objects that come into contact with it.

The current user of Joint Operations SCP-0742 was considered to be labeled as JSCP-X0742-01, however, the decision was ultimately rejected (See below)

 **CLASSIFIED - LEVEL FOUR PERSONNEL AND ABOVE ONLY**

 **\- Confirm -**

 **Recovery:** Joint Operations SCP-0742 was recovered on ██/██/████ during Operation ██████████, when Joint Operations SCP-0742 considered former agent ████████ no longer worthy of using Joint Operations SCP-0742. Agent ████████ was selected as a temporary user of Joint Operations SCP-0742 in assisting the neutralization of █████████ and SCP-███. Once recovered, Joint Operations SCP-0742 was transferred to Site ██ for approximately ████████ before Incident-01 occured (See Incident Log X0742-01), which then [REDACTED]. Agent ██████████ is now currently the chosen user and in possession of Joint Operations SCP-0742 until death or further notice.

 **Incident Log X0742-01:** After being locked in a safe-deposit box at Site ██ Storage Facility for ██ hours, ██ minutes, and ██ seconds, Site ██ undergone a containment breach when the Joint Operations SCP-0742 [REDACTED]. All objects inside the Site ██ Storage Facility were safely recovered and temporarily stored in the backup storage facility until repairs were made to the primary storage facility. By the unanimous vote of the O5 Council, the suggestion by Joint Operations SCP-0742-01 through SCP-0742-03 were taken into account and the new user was chosen for the anomaly, assigned to Agent █████████ until the time of ███ death, which it will then be reassigned to the next agent capable of using the anomaly.

 **Test Log X0742-01:** A test was conducted using D-4181 wielding Joint Operations SCP-0742 on SCP-███ as a result of SCP-███ having no effect on SCP-███ due to its Psionic Resistance Index of ███.

D-4181 was able to force SCP-███ to hesitate and retreat, albeit for only █████████. D-4181 was consumed by SCP-███, and Joint Operations SCP-0742 was regurgitated without any external damage. Test was concluded that The psychic signal either has an extremely high upper limit on the Psionic Resistance Index, or no upper limit.

 _[REDACTED] are extremely unhappy with the termination of D-4181 and are threatening [DATA EXPUNGED] in the future, we are to provide any user with Class D personnel to protect the current user of JSCP-X0742. We fucked up this time, make sure it doesn't happen again._

 _O5-_ ██

 **Addendum X0742-a:** The three entities inside the sword are confirmed to be [REDACTED], when prompted about their sealing, [DATA EXPUNGED].

 **Addendum X0742-b:** It seems that the "Chosen One" for having the capability to utilize JSCP-X0742 is made through unanimous vote among Joint Operations SCP-0742.

 **Addendum X0742-c:** Although it belonged to [REDACTED], in addition to have been in consistent Christian influence, the current user does not need to be a direct descendant nor be a devout Catholic to meet the conditions to wieldilding Joint Operations SCP-0742, as seen from Agent █████████'s adept use of the weapon, and from Agent █████████ when used in the initial recovery of Joint Operations SCP-0742.

 **Addendum X0742-d:** Former agent ██████████████████ was confirmed a user of the anomaly, prompting Foundation forces to locate and administer amnestics to former Agent █████████ to prevent any unauthorized access in the future when Agent █████████ returns the weapon to its storage location.

* * *

He hated watching her eyes try to focus on him.

He hated holding her as her breathing slowed to a stop.

He hated himself for not killing Kiba despite the protests from Sylvia and Rias.

Most of all, he hated that she had to die.

"Are you happy?" he asked when Rias flew back to where he stood, stemming the bleeding from a wound. Rias looked over at him, and he saw pity. "Don't give me that look. ARE YOU HAPPY?!"

He gripped Sylvia's body, "You and your idealistic views killed one of the only people who cared about me. _**We**_ accomplished nothing in this fight. What will it take for you to fucking wake up?"

Rias snapped and was about to shout at him when both of them heard Asia shout Issei's name.

They diverted their attention to see Issei's arm run through. The sword did shatter, and the dragon flesh began to mend itself, but he was tiring, so was Koneko and Akeno.

"Soon, they'll make a mistake, Rias. Know that." Ethan stood, "This is Badger-Seven to Team Pandora, where the _**fuck**_ are you guys?"

 _[Just arrived. SCP-076 be right there.]_

"Few words. We have an asset down from support team of Tau-Nine. As a personal request, give Inigo-Ten a proper burial, please? If you see me, let me be. I will handle my own."

 _[Understood. And the devils?]_

"They believe they have everything sorted out. Just kill the fucking Kadre and leave."

 _[Copy that. Everyone acknowledge?]_

All team members of Omega-Seven gave their assent and the radio disconnected. "They're here. Save Kiba with whatever love and friendship blackmagic you got."

Ethan picked up his sword, still in pristine condition from its innate invincibility to external damage. "Don't bother saving me."

"Wait." He paused and looked over with a glare. Rias had her teeth clenched and was grinding them. "Can you put Yuuto out of his misery?"

"Do it yourself."

"You know nobody in our peerage will do it, even if we all agree."

" _ **Filth."**_

Kokabiel turned his attention above at the deep, snarling growl. He was forced to cover his eyes when a two meter tall man dropped in front of him from a few hundred feet high, kicking up dust.

Immediately, two swords appeared in his hands and he pointed them at Kokabiel, the tattoos all over his body rippling as he aimed his weapon at the Kadre, his grey eyes sneering at the man.

"Impossible," Kokabiel muttered. "It can't be..."

" _ **Do you understand the implications behind those wings, The Fallen Voice?"**_

Kokabiel sneered and charged the man, faster than even when he fought Ethan, Sylvia, or Rias's peerage.

Despite disappearing faster than the blink of an eye, the Semitic man barely exerted effort as he parried the strike with a flick of his wrist, destroying the weapon in Kokabiel's hand. _**"You, an Angel, sinned. One of the greatest Angels, no less. You destroyed the pride you had.**_

" **Those** _ **are the implications. And it shows. You know exactly who I am."**_

"Shut it!" Kokabiel shouted. "Lay down and die, you false worm!"

" _ **False, HAH! I'm just as real as you, you sinner. God made**_ **you** _ **his agent, and you threw it away. You're worse than Devils, worse than humans."**_ His black hair flew all around as Kokabiel moved faster, no longer bothering to toy with his prey. But the warrior was barely concerned with him. His strikes were lazy, dismissive. _**"And luckily, my mission is to annihilate you. I**_ **will** _ **win, I just want to see how pathetic you will be when I'm done. I will play God, just like you did with the scum here."**_

Ethan shook his head as Kokabiel began cursing the warrior, and looked over at Kiba. He had to end the fight quickly.

Kiba looked over as Ethan picked up a sword. Issei shouted at Ethan as he charged the devil, but Rias commanded them all to back away.

With a somber acceptance, knowing the outcome, they retreated from the battle.

Ethan felt the ground shift and move as Kiba began summoning swords. He sidestepped, danced, and leaped over the weapons.

One goal was in mind.

End the devil's life, in exchange for ending Sylvia's. What about himself?

Well, he wasn't sure yet.

Kiba soon narrowed his eyes as Ethan approached weapon range. Unfortunately lacking any sign of fatigue from consistent fighting the past half hour, he summoned a large sword and held it in front of him, waiting for Ethan to act.

He wasted no time, dashing at the knight, who stepped out of the way and slashed downward.

Ethan blocked and grunted, running closer, forcing metal to shriek. Upon reaching the knight, he shoved the blade aside and chopped Kiba's throat, which resisted the strike but refused to collapse.

"Fucking devil resiliance," he cursed as Kiba coughed, trying to recover. Ethan gave him no such opportunity, he stabbed with his sword, putting all the weight behind the blade, and stabbed the heart of the knight, who perished on the spot. "It's done."

He looked up at Rias when she approached, along with the rest of her peerage.

"Now what do we-"

" _I'm sorry, Buchou."_

Somehow, someway, Kiba was standing in front of Rias. Not scowling or sulking in any way.

Now came the power of love and friendship.

"Yuuto?" The man smiled as children arrived around him, he held them in his arms as he looked at his comrades somberly. "You're really dead."

" _I am, Buchou. Sorry."_

"Don't apologize," she replied. "It isn't your fault you were his test subject. You couldn't have known he would control you in a second."

Kiba nodded, _"Yes, that's right."_

His hand twitched and he sighed, _"I just wish I could have tried harder to take back control. It just didn't work out."_

" _Ethan, was it?"_ Ethan looked up. _"I'm sorry for killing your partner."_

"...I'm not holding it against you. It's Rias's fault and Sylvia's own."

" _Don't talk back about Buchou like that, please,"_ the knight smiled with slight malice, adding onto Rias's frown. _"She only wants the best for everyone."_

Ethan stood and stabbed his sword into the ground, "But we must know when to give something up. We must face reality when it comes to making decision."

" _Is that why you went to hold Sylvia in your arms as she died?"_

Ethan looked at the empty spot where MTF Omega-7 evacuated her body. "It was the least I could do for her."

" _I disagree,"_ Kiba chuckled. _"I know it's because of the attachment you had."_

"Wrong."

" _You know I'm correct, Ethan-san."_

"Nope."

The knight grinned, "Save Sylvia or kill Kokabiel, which would you choose?"

"Of course I'll-" Ethan stopped and looked over at Sylvia and clenched his fists.

" _See? Am I wrong?"_ Ethan growled in response, it was the only thing he could do. _"Before you go, I'd like to pass on something I know you can use."_

Kiba pointed to his corpse, _"That sword is my Sacred Gear, I think you can make use of it."_

"I see," Ethan picked it up and Kiba approached it, touching it once more. His form flickered and the children around him did so too.

His hand seemed to cease to exist as the sword absorbed some of their essence. Ethan glanced at them as they returned to their translucent form, "What just happened?"

" _Not sure, if I were honest."_ Kiba held the blade in his hand, scowling at it before breaking into a grin as all the swords around the field dispersed. _"Ahh, pretty amazing."_

"What?"

" _Well, it seems we've achieved Balance Breaker state, all abilities are the same, but now this is a Holy Demonic sword."_

"So that means I can kill Devils and Angels?"

Kiba gave a wicked smile, _"Precisely. Not only that, it can clash with holy weapons safely."_ His smile vanished shortly after.

" _I haven't known you long enough to tell if you're reliable, if I were honest. Please don't abuse the power."_

Ethan summoned swords from the ground and picked one up, running his finger down the sharp edge, staring at his finger when he drew blood. "I'll do my best to uphold that. I think you want some final words with your peerage before you go?"

Kiba looked at his empty hands, _"Right. I'll go ahead and do that. How about you?"_

"Have a talk with an old friend of mine," he replied as he strolled over to Freed, who was just recovering from the paralysis. Ethan snapped his arm at Freed, who blocked and deflected the strikes despite just recovering from immobility.

"Ooh, is someone pissed that their little slut is killed?"

Swords appeared from all directions and began collapsing towards Freed, who disappeared instantly and cut at Ethan from behind, but Xenovia caught the attack, to his surprise.

"You won't be leaving this place alive."

"Oh?" Freed gave a shit-eating grin, "And how do you plan on doing that?"

"Saint Peter. Saint Basil the Great. Saint Denis. Holy-mother Mary. Listen to my plead." Freed paused and stared, astonished. Xenovia reached into an empty space and drew out a large, blue sword, the blade the length of a man's torso and the width of a hand.

"In the names of the saints whom reside in this blade, I release Durandal!"

"No way," Freed muttered then grinned, " _ **The**_ sword that can cut through anything?! I must get it!"

Xenovia swung the sword, but Freed hopped over it effortlessly and rocketed off the tip of the blade. "Even if you kill me, it is unlikely you can wield it. You have to be chosen by the blade."

Freed laughed and he seemed to turn on a switch, he wasn't sure what made him know it, but he knew that switch himself. Ethan cursed and shouted, "Take him seriously, Xenovia. Right now."

She nodded, but Freed vanished at a speed almost quicker than she could perceive, but she held her ground. Ethan brought up a wrath of swords under Freed, tracking his movements, but despite that, the swords summoned always came up far too late.

Xenovia redirected his various strikes, but was consistently pushed back by his swings, each as calculated as it is strong. He left no openings as he swung, minimizing his arm movement with each attack. Ethan rushed at him and attacked from the side, but it didn't faze him at all. He made his swings wider to complete an arc to knock Ethan's sword away, and simply put his foot onto the tip of Durandal as simply as stopping an opening door, dropping it into the dirt.

Ethan kicked at Freed's stomach, but the man simply spun away from the strike and dropped a kick on Xenovia's head. She seemed unhurt despite a quick stumble, and grabbed his leg, swinging him into the ground.

Freed was amused at the effort and simply cocked his leg with enough force to pull her down and launched a kick with his free leg to break her nose. She hissed and let go, pushing up. Freed flipped off the ground and onto his feet, absorbing a harsh kick to the balls from Ethan, chuckling a "How cute" before throwing a sucker punch up into his stomach.

Ethan vomited blood and was retching, trying to recover his breath as he held a hand over his abdomen while on his knees. Freed appeared before him, stabbing down, only to have the blade caught again by the flat of Durandal. She cut at him, but he simply flipped over it and landed on the top of it gracefully before kicking at Xenovia again.

He felt his breath return and rushed at Freed.

" _ **Fool, watch your back."**_

Ethan whirled around and saw the the SCP knows as 076 shatter a weapon sent from Kokabiel, who was bleeding from various wounds with shredded clothes.

The Semitic man was faring a lot better, though he was injured slightly, but it seemed he lost a portion of his ribs and skin in the fight.

"Thanks."

It did not reply, instead kept its focus on Freed and Kokabiel at the same time. Xenovia glared at Freed, who noticed he faltered ever so slightly. "You can't fight forever, and at that time, I will strike you down in the name of God."

Kokabiel let out a tired laugh, and seemed to regain his energy. "God...? You still fight for God?"

Everyone focused on him, even Freed. "You exorcists are pitiful, fighting, _**believing**_ in a being already long dead."

Total silence filled the field. "No...you're lying," Xenovia muttered.

"Oh go ahead!" Kokabiel laughed as he shooed her away with her hands, "Keep fighting, and strike in the name of God, I'm not stopping you. Nobody is, and God certainly isn't, but surely you should have noticed the lack of actual _meaning_ to His name when you say it, right?"

Freed began to laugh as Asia and Xenovia fell to their knees. "That explains so much! Why God never answers prayers! I was wondering if mine were too out-of-line!"

"Which are regardless," Ethan scowled at his former teammate, spitting out blood.

"Have you ever wondered, pretty boy?" Freed smirked.

"No. I never cared."

"I wonder how you got in the Church, then," Freed retorted, "Someone who doesn't even have faith in Him."

"It doesn't matter if God exists anymore or not," Ethan sighed, "We should be fighting to protect the people of faith. Frankly, we should be fighting to keep the subjects of God safe."

"But what's the point?" Xenovia asked from the ground, "Why fight to protect the people of God if they can't serve Him?"

Ethan snarled, "How short-sighted are you?! Even if God is dead, prayers are answered. People are saved. _**Miracles happen,**_ because someone took his place. We should be fighting for _**them**_. We should fight to have people keep their faith in his _**replacement**_. And most of all, for the safety of humanity. Pick up Durandal now, you bitch."

"There's no point," Kokabiel sang. "Someone else is running the system and he certainly isn't doing a better job than God is. I'd honestly rather support God than whatever paltry replacement he has."

He growled, "Sword."

"I can't," Xenovia murmured.

" _ **Bitch,**_ pick up the sword." Ethan snarled in frustration at the same time as SCP-076.

" _ **Humanity is such a disappointment. It seems all new generations have weak wills."**_ The dead, contempt-filled eyes of SCP-076 rested on Ethan, _**"Except for a few, I suppose."**_

Kokabiel chuckled, "So you know my contempt for humans. Weak, fickle, traitorous what more could you ask of such a pitiful species?"

" _ **I agree, but then there are exceptions."**_ The man faced Ethan, _**"You, young one, might just meet God, sooner or later. Whether you want to or not."**_

"You mean I'll die?"

The man laughed boisterously, the sound coming deep from his stomach as he flicked away Freed who proceeded to attack Ethan behind his back. _**"No, you damned fool. He is alive. And you might just meet him.**_ **Alive,** _ **if you pay attention to the field."**_

Ethan looked at Freed who was standing up, "Right."

Kokabiel shook his head with contempt, "Just how much longer are you going to be deluding yourself?"

" _ **I'm not delusional."**_

"Ho? But that is what you said before you were murdered by Cain, isn't it, Abel?"

There was an immediate shift in the atmosphere, the Kadre yanked on a nerve deep inside the Semitic man, _**"You do NOT speak of those names. Ever**_ **AGAIN!** _ **"**_

The intensity of the killing intent yanked everyone to the floor, not just Kokabiel, removing his only advantage. The warrior didn't even wait for him to hit the ground before moving. Kokabiel was several meters in the air when SCP-076 slammed the flat of a sword into his ribs.

Now left to the mercy of the warrior, he was forced to play heavily on the defensive to even try to survive the blows equal of a god.

Freed struggled to stand, having an easier time than Ethan, and ran at the teen.

Ethan glared at Xenovia and sneered, "If you're not helping, I'll take your Durandal."

"No!" She cried, but he picked up the sword and stumbled.

 _ **Oh poor one, too unfit to use the blade.**_

But his determination is much stronger than the previous wielder...Xiolt-la, was it?"

 _How bad is your memory? That is the name of His Forbidden One. Xenovia, you dunce._

Right, right.

 _ **But we will make an exception. You cannot destroy that fake, disgusting excuse of an Excalibur on your own.**_

Mhm, make use of the short time, temporary wielder of our Sacred Durandal.

That entire conversation between the entities lasted less than a second, so Freed had only approached by two steps.

The sword, despite its power and size, felt as easy to swing as a sword of his preferred weight. Perhaps he could use it to his advantage.

Ethan stabbed the sword into the ground, feeling the effects of even holding the blessed weapon and struggled to summon a few swords to trap Freed, who grinned as he dodged them.

He rushed closer and the Excalibur disappeared as he swung. Ethan swung a Holy sword down on the sword, but missed.

Feeling the air to his left move, Ethan ducked and rolled, as the sword twisted to run his skull through.

"Now that's a fight I like," Freed cackled as he pressed closer, applying pressure on Ethan. He stepped back and swung sword after another, calling them out of the air and clashing with the twisting invisible Excalibur.

He got a momentum and sent a sword shattering, but pushing Freed's back, the fragments cutting his skin as they flew by.

"Damn," Freed cursed as he dodged and weaved in between Ethan's swings, his mouth splitting a grin when he jumped back, "Excalibur Nightmare."

A genjutsu, illusion took over the world. In front of his eyes, Freed was Sylvia now, bleeding and choking on blood, torso punctured with wounds.

A dream of her death.

Dying before his eyes, and no way to save her.

No.

In the ground was a holy sword in a sheath, filled with energy that blessed the air even around it.

Avalon.

The legendary object with the perfect cure to even bring a person from the brink of death back to perfect health.

He grabbed the sheath and the sword, holding it above her.

Interesting, so you can see through the illusion.

 _No, he has already lived this nightmare. He is only imagining a way to fix it._

 _ **Boy, remember that you can't fix it.**_

Ethan's eyes filled with tears. "I know. But this is how I can imagine killing a teammate, I won't kill otherwise."

The three voices laughed.

 _ **I like this one. Too bad he doesn't have the strength to use us forever.**_

 _Me too._

Count me in on that. Such a shame.

Ethan stabbed, but from Sylvia's hands came a weapon.

He widened his eyes and redirected his swing into the blade, shattering it.

Immediately after the Excalibur shattered, the nightmare ended. Freed stared in disbelief at the broken sword as Ethan watched the shards fly.

"So not even a partially completed Excalibur can clash with Durandal, huh?" Both of them thought to themselves.

"So how about letting me live, eh?" Freed asked. Ethan looked down and their eyes met for a long moment before Ethan sneered, rearing his foot back and sending a kick into Freed's ribs, shattering them.

He hacked a cough and struggled to breath, as he scrambled up, clutching his side, "I think I deserved that."

"Get out of my fucking sight." Ethan whirled around and walked away as Freed ran off.

Ethan sighed and nearly dropped the blade, exhausted, "Badger-Seven, I have a package to deliver."

 _[Eyeing the package. We can't land right now. See if you can help 076 with the fight to give us room.]_

Ethan watched as the giant clashed with the Kadre, "Doubt it."

There was silence on the opposite end for several seconds.

 _[Yes, I take that back. Stay as far as fucking possible from there. Joining is immediate death for everyone but those two.]_

SCP-076 was destroying all of Kokabiel's weapons with single swings, easily overpowering the older, supernatural opponent. Despite the powers, despite the presence he held, Kokabiel stood nearly no chance against the raging berserker.

Kokabiel stabbed the giant's left arm with his wings, which the Semitic man sneered at the efforts, _**"FUTILE! You know that?"**_

He tried to pull away, freeing his wings, but the giant simply grabbed hold of the wings and twisted, snapping three of the five. Kokabiel roared and sent spears into the body of SCP-076, to little effect.

Kokabiel tore his wings to the right, ripping the left forearm in half, including the hand, but the warrior only backhanded Kokabiel with his right hand with such force to shatter his jaw and sending him into the walls of a building.

" _ **You speak of starting wars. You act as if you, the sole voice, can carry out the war yourself."**_ The Semitic man picked up Kokabiel and slammed his face into a window and brought it sideways, crashing his temple into a wall.

" _ **But you know nothing about how to fight. Look at you. Angel, fell to a failed revolution. A Fallen Angel, who failed to win a damned battle royale. Banished. Now, a warmonger, failing to defeat a mere, so-called, false worm, HUH?"**_

The giant smirked, his teeth bloody and his eyes blazing with anger. _**"You touched a nerve you shouldn't, you disillusioned senile man."**_

Kokabiel's wings flashed quickly and sheared off half of the giant's face, but he didn't even flinch. _**"They know where he is, after I kill you, I will kill them. I will find him, and I will fucking tear him to shreds. What you are facing now is only...a**_ **blessing** _ **."**_

At the final two words, SCP-076 crushed one set of wings under his foot, causing Kokabiel to scream and spit profanities and he stabbed through the warrior's stomach and into the hollow of his shoulder, horizontally through the armpits and chests, but none of this stopped him.

Though the effects of that prolonged battle began showing. His arm creaked, his bones snapped as he moved.

The problem is that he is still alive. _**"Who's next?"**_

Ethan began moving from a sudden communication from the Foundation.

 _[Kid, SCP-076 has lost control. We're activating the explosive device now!]_

Kokabiel had fallen and it seemed he wasn't quite dead just yet, which meant the Foundation now had a possibility to answer several questions. The step now was to survive the warrior named Abel that was in his face, swinging the back of his hand at his chest.

Ethan shouted in surprise and swung up, slicing off the arm at the elbow as he was sent sailing into the air. He blacked out for a brief moment and groaned as he looked around, finding himself at the roof of Kuoh Academy's main building. Abel landed beside him and swung a large sword down with a ruined arm, but Ethan rolled back and swung Durandal, breaking it before stabbing at the chest, missing by a mile when he dodged.

 _[Detonating now, but he might be undead after, don't let your guard down.]_

The giant brace on his neck exploded, decimating his head and severing everything in his neck, but the man miraculously moved, attacking Ethan as if his head was still there.

A warrior who has experienced wars after his initial murder for over thousands of years so he could fight with deadly force despite having no senses. Just for vengence.

Ethan cut off a hand then aimed for the legs, only cutting off a single foot, before he was smacked across the roof, crashing into a rooftop air conditioner as the torso grabbed Durandal and began marching towards him, shaking the building. A giant whirring came to life and the sound of hundreds of thousands of sheets of paper being ripped filled the air.

The torso turned and hurled Durandal at the helicopter, sending it crashing into the cockpit, barely missing the pilots.

Though the team stayed on the spot, unflinching, puncturing the body of the warrior until it was nothing more than meat filled with lead.

When it finally collapsed, still, the body disintegrated into ash, and floated into the air, all signs of existence vanishing.

 _ **Elsewhere, a coffin slammed shut with enough force to crush that helicopter, but not even enough to fracture the stone.**_

 _[Pandora-One. You still alive, Badger-Seven?]_

"Hell is worse than I thought if I'm dead," Ethan gasped a response and rested his head back against the metal. He heard a laugh as the helicopter began to land on the courtyard of the academy, in no condition to fly. The whirl of the rotors combined with the wind blowing making it difficult to hear.

 _[Alright. We're going to do cleanup now, you did good, kid.]_

"Aight, whatever. I'm beat."

 _[It seems one subject escaped.]_

"Who?" Ethan knew who it was. He wasn't sure what they had to say about him letting Freed go.

 _[Freed Sellzen, he seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth, strangely. As a potential breach of security, we'll need a DOA sent out for him.]_

"Got it. Sorry he got away."

 _[Not a problem. That kick you sent, didn't expect him to get up and leave as if he was uninjured. Your bigger worry was 076."_

"What about Sylvia?"

 _[Inigo-Ten? We'll...we'll need to be cautious on how to approach what do to.]_

Dread filled his stomach, "You're not burying her?"

 _[Not that. Maybe. Just that we have to take specific actions before making that decision. We'll be sure to let you know.]_

"Alright..." he sighed. "And Kokabiel?"

 _[Interrogation. No question. He's alive, and we're going to take this opportunity. Captain Weinberg will let you know more about that if you inquire later. We were just the cavalry. Nothing more for this mission.]_

"Alright. The devils?"

 _[They're going to be kept under watch. We're told that Sirzechs himself will tell them to keep this under wraps until we know exactly how to reveal this to to the other two factions, so we didn't pack any amnestics.]_

Ethan nodded and sighed as two people in Foundation armor approached him, one carrying a stretcher, "Good job, kiddo. Just lay down and rest. We're giving you a trip back to the on-site infirmary."

Ethan nodded and crawled to the stretcher and laid down, shutting his eyes and falling asleep.

He swore that he felt a soft, protective touch on his shoulders.

* * *

 _ **Portions of the following recording has been removed. The following is data that is completely safe for viewing.**_

 _ **Attempts to access the off-limit records will result in the projection of a memetic kill agent and your immediate termination, along with MTF █████████ being sent to your direct location.**_

* * *

Weinberg scowled at his brother, "We're finally ready?"

Joshua nodded.

The two entered the room, a squad of Foundation guard already inside the hall and pointing rifles at the man chained in the center.

On several balconies were snipers aiming rifles loaded with .50 bmg rounds aimed at the torso of the man in the middle, shackles clamping him to the slab in the center.

"So I think you are ready to answer our questions?" Joshua asked.

The Kadre breathed heavily, snarling and got ready to spit in the scientist's face but screamed as Weinberg approached and twisted the wrist. After dislocating it, he pulled, stretching the skin several centimeters. "You done playing tough? You're not starting a war here, tough guy. We could have made it easy hours ago you arrogant dumbass."

"Fuck...you," he snarled. Weinberg shook his head.

"It's been far too long. Let's just use a fucking truth serum."

Joshua sighed and approached.

"You think I'll fall victim to such mundane treatments?"

Joshua injected the serum into him as he laughed, "You asked for this."

The laughter stopped from Kokabiel and he began screaming, the loud voice deafening in the enormous room, nearly rupturing the two Odes's eardrums. "So. What was the whole purpose of sending us after Valper, someone unrelated to your schemes?"

The screaming suddenly stopped, as if a recording was cut, "If...if you had fallen to the bait, I'd have killed...the devil scum for sure. That wretched sister of Luficer and her peerage."

Joshua scribbled that note down and hummed a tune, "But what do you gain from that?"

"Are you an...arrgh, idiot? Sirzechs would declare war on the Fallen Angels again. That's what we gain."

The two brothers glanced at one another, "'We?' Do elaborate."

"Xiolt-la. When war wages between us and the devils, the Angels have no choice but to step in."

"Mhm..."

"Xiolt-la will awaken from the dissonance of the three supernatural groups. Do you know how many people will die at once?"

"I see," Joshua scribbled down the answer. "So he awakens, what after?"

"He will be able to wipe out all three influential factions in one fell swoop, and then fix this corrupted world."

"Nice. Just as all so-called perfect gods should act," Joshua remarked. "So we foiled your plan. How long do we have?"

Kokabiel heaved a laugh before roaring and spitting out saliva that collected in his mouth from being unable to swallow. "Not long. Just because you stopped this plan doesn't meant there aren't other ways to awaken him. You know about his powers growing with believers. We can't have humans spreading the message. You'd catch on too quickly."

"So you made clones of people and spread the message that way."

"Yes...yes," Kokabiel grinned. "I've made plenty. Though your Foundation set us back a little, we still have plenty more to awaken him. I've shared all my subjects with Khaos Brigade. And they aren't a force you mere humans can handle. Magicians of the highest caliber."

Joshua spun the pen in his fingers and clicked his tongue. "I dunno. We've seen our fair share of mages back in...well, back _**then**_. I'd thought they'd be more impressive. Bullets are still faster than words, you know? Ever wonder why human military doesn't use magic, smart one?"

Kokabiel sneered and refused to reply.

Joshua gave an annoyed look, "That's the problem with the supernatural. Just because you're more powerful than humans, just because you have better powers than us doesn't actually _make_ you better. Take you, for example. Trapped for eternity, here in this cell, this prison."

He shook his head, "Just marvelous how nearsighted people like you grow to be."

Kokabiel cursed and thrashed, spittle flying. Even as he twisted and moved, the slab of iron and the bonds didn't budge. "Release me now and I'll show you arrogant worm just who is stronger!"

"I'll think about that offer, thank you very much, maybe if I were to be terminated I can die to you," he answered, bored by the threat. "You happen to know where their HQ is? Khaos Brigade, that is?"

"Even if I told you exactly where, you'll never be able to find that place."

"Oh I'm sure we will," Joshua answered as he positioned his pen over the notepad, "So, is it in Hell? Underworld? Actually, wait a moment, tell me where this portal is. We'll find our way to the HQ ourselves."

"Kyoto," Kokabiel seemed to struggle to answer. Joshua chuckled.

"Well, it seems you could actually fight the truth serum. Interesting."

Kokabiel spat, but missed. Joshua turned around, "Well. Either that, or the effects are wearing off quickly. Our job is done...for now. I'll visit in a couple of days, maybe with Valper since I'm sure he knows what to actually ask."

"Fuck you."

Joshua paid no mind and turned around, walking out the door, Weinberg marching behind confidently. They strolled silently past various patrols and rooms, briefly greeting the Foundation employees as they made their way to an office.

The office was clearly decorated and meant to be a room specifically for his brother, but through the years of work pertaining to SCP-2440, Joshua's office became nothing more than maps marked with thumb tacks, labyrinth of papers, and mountains of archived documents. Joshua yawned as he placed the clipboard onto the desk, the only clean spot of the entire office, made to have space for the computer that sat on the left side, and a light source on the opposite end.

"I feel exactly how I felt back in college. Like I picked the wrong fucking major."

Weinberg laughed and powered on the coffee maker as Joshua began typing up a report to add onto the file. "Not surprised."

"Shut the fuck up," Joshua smiled, his mouth stretching to his eyes. "So...I guess we'll need a pass to operate in Kyoto then. If I remember, there was a ritual the thaumaturgists were doing for weeks a couple years ago before something intervened. Fucking thing blew up the whole experiment. We lost about half a dozen employees in that one fiasco, but from that day there haven't been any changes in the situation. From their investigation, there was one specific shrine that was fairly weak in separating two different worlds."

Weinberg tilted his head and cracked his neck, as he drink began dripping down into the pot, "I see. So assuming that shitter isn't lying we'll be within enemy territory, and a step closer to wiping out the entire force sustaining SCP-2440."

"Pretty much."

Weinberg nodded and ticked off a few fingers, "First, let him recover then ask him just how many people he had turned Devotees, and second, ask him about that lab under SCP-1730. From what I saw there, I ain't letting any team rush in against those fucks, even if bullets are faster than how fast they spew incantations."

Joshua nodded, both at the request and as thanks when Weinberg set a cup of coffee before him, "Noted. How's Ethan?"

"That kid?" Weinberg shrugged, "Hadn't gotten the chance to talk to him yet. After the operation in Kuoh, Alpha-1 scooped him up and brought him to Site-01 for _...evaluation."_

Weinberg made a gesture with his hands and Joshua understood, nodding. "He'll be back though, right?"

"As long as it is only a evaluation, then yes, he'll be back within the week."

"Hope nothing goes wrong," Joshua raised an eyebrow. "Ah! About SCP-343 and his conference with us, you said we we have an appointment now and are going to be joined by...Michael himself? Shouldn't we go?"

"We still have time," Weinberg answered as he checked the date. "I'd harbor a guess and say that we'll be on the dot, actually. Even after all the processes Michael has to go through before the guys lead him to the containment room."

"I see," his brother replied as he took a drink of coffee, not turning his attention away from the computer screen. Weinberg still left his untouched as the steam rose. "What do you suppose was 343's plan with those...Brave Saint system?"

"I have no fucking clue," Weinberg chuckled as he answered. "If he _is_ telling the truth about the situation going on in Heaven, it's to repopulate the Angels. That's the only conclusion I have."

They sat in silence for a long while as Joshua tapped away at the keyboard.

"Just a guess," Weinberg added, "It could be possible he wants the Angels to have an actual tie to the Foundation. We know Azazel personally, as approved by O5, we recently established contact with Sirzechs and might begin cooperation with his younger sister's peerage, and then that leaves the Angels. Michael has had no form of contact despite the Archaic-Foundation's instructions to him. This is possibly going to be it. The three Factions are now officially in coordination with us with this move."

Joshua nodded, "Yes...that makes sense."

A knock interrupted their conversation. Weinberg downed his cup of coffee in one gulp as Joshua called, "Come in!"

A Russian popped his head in, rumbling voice announcing with a slight accent of his homeland, "SCP-343 is ready for the conference, boss."

Weinberg stood, "Alright, thanks Ivan."

The trio hurried over to the cell that contained the anomaly and found two men. One is an elderly man with a beard that grew to cover his mouth, in stark contrast to his shining, bald head. His grey, omnipotent eyes scanned the room, as amused as usual.

The second is an extremely younger man with long blonde hair that touched his shoulders, his green eyes seemingly irritated at something.

The elderly man wore what appeared to be a white Greek toga as the younger man donned a snug red robe, topped with large, seemingly heavy, shoulder pads.

"I assume you're the two representatives I will be reporting to in this organization?" the younger man asked.

Joshua shook his head as the elderly man pointed to two spaces on the table, two chairs appearing on the spot. "We're the ones you're working _with_. I'm Joshua Odes, head of the operation to contain SCP-2440 and MTF Delta-7, and this is Michael Weinberg Odes, team leader of Badger Squad of Tau-9."

"You can call me Weinberg."

The younger man frowned, "I see. So you aren't the people I should be asking why my father is here?"

The two brothers gave each other a glance, and Weinberg stood up, "One second."

He strolled over to the door and poked his head out, "We always guessed he is God, but this changes everything. Make this appointment for specific eyes only, and bring a guy down. We're going to need an authority figure here."

The scientist nodded and two more beside him began making calls to higher positions. "You'll need to wait before you proceed with the questions."

"This is going to be interesting." Weinberg stepped back inside and sat down in silence, "We're going to have to wait for a few people to arrive before we can begin."

SCP-343 nodded understandingly as Michael seemed slightly angry at the delay. "I see. How about some small talk, then?"

Weinberg and Joshua blinked in unison and waited.

"What made you join the Army?"

Weinberg scowled, "We wanted to get away from our guardians. Aunt and uncle."

"We? Not just one of you?"

Weinberg knew the old man knew the answer to that, but decided he would entertain him, "Both of us hated them to the core. Treated us like shit as they pampered their own kids. Your usual shitty guardians and usual runaway twins cliche."

"So how long did you serve?"

"..." Weinberg scowled and crossed his arms, "Fo-"

 _[Captain Weinberg, Researcher Odes, you may begin.]_

"Might I lead with a question?" Michael asked once the speaker cut off from its sudden interruption.

"Shoot," Joshua replied, as he reached for a cheeseburger that appeared before everyone. Weinberg scowled at the food, always annoyed at the fact SCP-343 knew exactly which kind of burger all of them wanted.

"Why is it that you trapped Father here?"

"He made his choice to be here, from what I've been told. Not to mention it is our job to secure anomalies. That is exactly what you father was when the Foundation found him." Joshua shook his head, "Please understand that we don't have any means to actually contain SCP-343. Yes, he is in here with us. Yes, he is in a containment facility. Yes, this is a prison. But understand he could have left whenever he wanted to, we saw him leave the room before our very eyes to prove a point.

"Walking into a wall to grab a cheeseburger and served it to the person who questioned him. A damned cheeseburger found in the opposite end of the _**world**_. He knew exactly what the man wanted. But yet he is here, and not attending to the Pearly Gates, Archangel Michael. He wants to be here."

"Then why, Father? Why did you choose to stay here? When you vanished, I had to take the work you did. I had to see what you saw. Was that the reason you never returned?" Weinberg heard the sadness and betrayal in his voice, but ultimately acceptance, regardless of the answer.

SCP-343 shook his head with a somber look, "No. If it were up to me, I would have continued my work as your Father. But after that war...I found my powers are now lacking, no longer what it used to be. Me right now, as this humble man who is just very knowledgeable, is the extent of what I am. I am not fit for my old work. The best I can do it assist these good men and women with their mission, even with the methods as unethical as it is, because their aim is just as pure as our own kind's mission."

Michael sighed with a frown, "I guess it couldn't be helped then."

He raised his slightly wrinkled hand and patted Michael's shoulder. "You've done so much, despite being innocent to the horrors of the true world. I'm sorry you had to be forced into the position, and I'm proud of you, my Son."

Michael lowered his gaze and let out a soft sigh, "I...thank you for the praise. Do you know if my Father can leave if he gets his powers back?"

Weinberg frowned and shook his head, "That is to the discretion of the O5. At this heavy a decision, not even I can influence their decision."

He let out a laugh, immediately afterwards, "Just so you know, your Father can leave anytime he wants to, even at this state. If we say no, who is to stop him at full strength, huh?" He gave a bitter smile, "That's the biggest problems with reality benders. We can only do oh-so-much, but sometimes, it isn't enough. I am glad that SCP-343 is a one that is understanding of us and our goals."

Michael nodded, "Very well. Then if the O5 council is listening to this conversation, if it isn't too much to ask, that they let Father go in the future."

"It's up to them," Joshua replied, "No promises. _But_ , due to possible future events, it is very likely we will need to weaponize SCP-343."

"Weaponize?"

"Yes, we will need to send him out to fight the threat, and make God known again. If the threat is shut down, we might possibly release him on the condition he returns occasionally for a brief checkup."

"That's good," Michael nodded. "But you make it sound as if it might not matter."

Joshua gestured to the briefcase beside the bed, "May I?"

SCP-343 nodded, and Joshua stood up to grab the container. When he returned, the table was clear of all objects, space for the contents made. Joshua unlatched the briefcase and brought up a folder, approximately six inches thick, "Here are all the files you'll need to look at later on, to fully understand why. _**For your own eyes only**_."

Michael frowned at the emphasis, "Why is that?"

"Highly sensitive material, and the more people know about him, the more dangerous he gets."

Michael opened the folder and skimmed through several pages, "It...it all makes sense now. But won't having me know about this...so-called god be dangerous for you and the Three Factions too?"

"It is," Joshua nodded, "But we're reaching our limits as humans. We need help. That's why we're finally reaching out to you guys for help. We handled the Children of God, and have a separate team monitoring them, but Weinberg here, leader of Badger Squad, is most experienced dealing with the supernatural threats. Lately, the Devotees rising up _are_ supernatural. Not humans. We need all Three Factions, Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels, to work together with us to stop the rising threat. We need you to act as eyes and ears, to aid us with the efforts."

Michael stared at the pages and picked up a few pages, and let them fall back into place.

"We're looking into payments, as we're no-"

Michael laughed, "No! No need for payments. I want to support your efforts without needing anything back. I'm...just worried. Father never fully sealed this god, and...in his state he really can't do it again."

Joshua gave a sad smile, "Glad you picked up on that. Unfortunately, we're at a loss on how to handle SCP-2440 once he...breaches containment, I guess it's safe to say. We have an inkling of a feeling on ways to prevent it though. I need my team and I do conduct some more research, as I think we found a trail here, and once I confirm it, I will be sure to let everyone in on that information. For now, all I ask of you is to help my brother reduce the numbers of Khaos Brigade members."

"Khaos Brigade? How are they connected?"

"New information we got from apprehending Kokabiel, I'll need our analysts to dig a big on the supernatural side-"

"I apologize for the misunderstanding," Michael corrected, "I'm aware of the terrorist organization."

"Terrorists?" Joshua scowled.

"Correct." The two brothers shared a glance and Weinberg frowned, before holding up a finger.

"Save it for later. I want to finish up this portion of the conference before we talk about that. I want Khaos Brigade to be in a separate file so in the case we need to redact information, we don't need to scoop out the middle of the recordings."

Michael became grim, "Understood. What's next?"

"Your Father informed us of your population of Angels and its...predicament."

Joshua reached into the briefcase and handed out a few decks of cards. "This has been the work of the Foundation's thaumaturgists for the past few years. I think you're familiar with the Devil's Evil Piece system?"

"Absolutely."

SCP-343 held out his hand and Joshua handed the deck to him, and he pulled out the 52 cards within, "With that similar system, and a portion of my knowledge on the subject, we were able to replicate the Evil Piece system, but as the Brave Saint system."

He held out a ace of hearts, smiling, "Cards, to transform or reincarnate the select few humans worthy of being an Angel into an Angel."

The elderly man laid the card on the table, "However, be warned that the Angels are still susceptible to Fall. It's always a peril of being an Angel. So pick your Saints wisely. There is the whole deck of cards, each suit will count as your team. I believe we have a second deck available, but that is for containment, just like we have the original Evil Piece set given to us by Ajuka Beelzebub. We will need time to create more."

Michael picked up the deck of cards and split it into the suits, picking up the suit of Hearts, "..."

He smiled sadly, "Thank you, I don't deserve this, but thank you and everyone that helped make this magic possible. I don't know how to repay you."

Joshua chuckled, "If you're keen on repaying us, just help us this once. SCP-2440 is the most immediate threat, and nobody here wants the world to end. We understand the hardship of a lost population; we're doing this willingly. We're also trying to figure out a way to aid the Fallen Angels too, as we don't want conflicts from Angels falling or Fallens being isolated and shrinking, so I do hope you don't mind."

"As an Angel, I appreciate you're taking that into account," Michael answered, "But as an Angel, it irritates me that Fallens are also being aided. But that can't be helped, there are beliefs and habits we cannot rid ourselves of."

"Do you have anyone in mind to start with?" SCP-343 asked, with a hint of curiosity in his calm, monotonic tone.

"Actually, a couple," Michael replied. "Irina Shidou is someone I feel is an excellent candidate."

"The other?" Joshua asked as he shut the briefcase.

"An exorcist that is in your possession."

"Ethan, you mean?" Weinberg questioned, and shook his head, smirking. "I'm attached to that kid, no can do."

 **.**

 **.**

 _ **[DATA EXPUNGED]**_

 _This is not a cognitohazard nor an infohazard, but this is not information we want released, for fear it will jeopardize Operation_.

O5 _-██_

 **.**

 **.**

 ** _This marks the end of the conference._**

* * *

Weinberg stood from the chair, "So that's settled, the Foundation is calling for a ceasefire throughout the Three Factions, to negotiate a middle ground between all four of us. I hope you will join us?"

Michael laughed, "Of course! There's no reason not to."

"And I want to enact vengeance on the being that took my father away from me. This Peace Summit would be the first step in that process."

Weinberg couldn't help but shudder when he felt a chill go down his spine. Angels were supposed to be peaceful, and he can tell that Michael is the representation of the Angel, but they aren't perfect, and despite controlling himself, he harbored enough power to make himself fall.

The power leaking from his killing intent, even for a millisecond, was absurdly dangerous. Even standing in the hatred of Kokabiel, Weinberg knew that the Kadre would not be able to hold a candle to Michael if the latter wished to take things seriously.

Such was the negative emotions swelling after centuries of being forced into doing work he never wished to do. A young child forced to do the work his parents were supposed to do for over a fifth of his lifetime.

* * *

 **Incident Log 2440-** **████ per Request of the O5 Council in light of [REDACTED] from the death of Agent** █████████

Ethan stood with his a

rms crossed in front of the former exorcist known as Blevin Steiner.

"So, mind telling me where I am?" Ethan remained silent as Daniel Vernas came around the back of the man.

"You're mistaking the roles here, Mr. God."

The god laughed in the voice of the exorcist. "Oh, I know who is the authority figure here, but that won't stop me, you know?"

Daniel scoffed and sat down, "So let's begin, what do you plan by coming here?"

"I want to talk to the boy."

Daniel turned around, "Him? Why?"

Ethan scowled and refused to speak.

"Did you know that girl you like, Sylvia, will die?"

"..." Ethan fought to keep from speaking.

"I know how to save her." The temptation was great, and he was on the brink of accepting the offer.

He wanted to, but the fact he brought it up was off.

"You're interested, I can tell."

Ethan was confused on why Daniel wasn't saying anything, nor was Joshua or the Colonel.

"No."

"So you're going to let her die?"

"..."

The exorcist laughed, "You're a cruel man. She doesn't deserve you. Not at all. She fell in love with looks and false morals. When it comes down to it, you'll throw her to the wolves."

Ethan rushed forward but Daniel stood up and blocked the way.

" _Now my Greeks, Operation Troy."_

There was an enemy in front of him and Ethan struck, but the man simply deflected the attack and swept Ethan off his feet.

He pulled a pistol out and fired a bullet into each of the knees of Him sitting in the chair, standing up to join the fight, free of his bonds.

"Get someone down here! Now!"

Ethan wanted to kill the man, for harming Him, the Beloved One. He, a punitive heretic, dared hurt Him.

He thrashed but he made no progress in getting free. Two more heretics entered and held him down as a third injected venom into his neck, filling his veins with poison to end his existence.

Enough to end the existence if a loyal devotee.

Ethan massaged his head as he woke up on the metal floor.

"You good, kid?" Daniel asked, as Ethan tried to review the fight just earlier in his mind. Was it mind control?

"What happened?"

"Too many people knows he exists. He," Daniel pointed, "wanted to use that as an advantage. Luckily for us, we were prepared. He got the Trojan Horse, but we surrounded it with pits of fire for the Greeks to fall into."

Ethan sat up, frowning as he stared at the exorcist panting on the floor with blood seeping from his bullet wounds.

"I'll come back. Just you wait. This plan won't work a second time!"

Daniel aimed for the head, "I know. But we got to stall for enough time, won't you agree?"

With a deafening roar, the bullet tore through the scalp and sent the body jerking still. "So. I guess he wanted you on his side."

Ethan nodded absently. "It seems you refused the decision to save the girl who you care about."

Ethan made no effort to deny he liked Sylvia, "Yeah."

"Why?"

"It has to be a trap. There must be Catch-22. What does he gain from me saving her?"

Daniel nodded. "I see. There's no outward advantage. He hasn't even bothered to say what he gains." Ethan shrugged, lost. He knew there was an intention, but _what_? "Another option is that saving her leads to certain events happening, meaning he returns quicker. Letting her die will slow his awakening."

"Makes sense," Ethan replied. "Couldn't we have kept him alive?"

"Nope. I had to shoot because we can't let him live when hundred of Foundation agents are being pacified."

"What do you mean?"

"We had many Foundation agents know of His existence, to serve as a gauge for if He is becoming widespread."

"Since we encountered him a while back, he made sure more Foundation agents knew of His existence to strike at the heart of the team stopping Him.

"He didn't realize we were already prepared for that scenario and exploited it to stall for time. How we kept ourselves unaffected comes from two serums: One where we are much more resistant to the suggestions. However, this one's extremely hard to replicate, so select few such as me and my team and Weinberg and his team are about to use it. The second one contains amnestics to erase any memory of Him.

"That meant during that time, we got to research Him further without fear, and investigate further on how to finally contain or neutralize Him. The plan was unleashed sooner than we expected, not entirely a good sign."

"Cause it means there are a lot of worshippers," Ethan reasoned.

"Correct. The most worrying thing is, we're actively monitoring the Children of God, and despite the fact they are staying low, there are a lot of people to make His powers appear. There _**has**_ to be another group out there we don't know about."

Ethan stood, "So that's going to be our goal?"

"Definitely. But we'll talk more about that later. Let's make our reports before Weinberg gets back, since you'll be gone indefinitely in Kuoh." Ethan nodded and began to leave, but Daniel held Ethan back. "You sure you want to let Sylvia die?"

He paused.

"If-if she has to..." Ethan exhaled, "I don't want her to die, but if she has to, she must. She'll understand that her death will prevent the death of billions of people. She might hate me for that, but she'll certainly understand."

* * *

 **A/N: So, Kyoto is next. I'm tinkering with ideas on what to do. The journey to the end has changed a lot than what I originally planned, but the destination is still the same. Right now, I need to integrate the ORC into the Foundation, get them used to the system. That comes before Kyoto arc, which is a pretty short one, but it's a merge of the Kyoto in canon DxD and Peace Treaty, then I'll deviate from the original plot...quite a bit. Hopefully what I plan will be up to standard.**

 **I'll be foreshadowing and hinting a bit, but it won't get in the way of the story. If something pops up that seems out of nowhere, likely it was done on purpose. I know there will be at least two events that'll happen this way. Keep an eye out.**

 **Reviews:**

 **doomqwer:** Thank you! I hope this chapter was just as good, despite it being more than a slugfest between two powerful entities. Kiba dying is only the first step in having Khaos Brigade stepping up their game. They'll be your generic "big bad army appearing everywhere," similar to the Chaos Insurgency, but they aren't just going to be cannon fodder. They're dangerous cannon fodder.

 **DT3:** I'll say it again, no worries! Criticism is completely fine. I'll do my best in the future chapters slowing down my pace a bit. Hopefully I'll be able to have the core events last 2-3 chapters rather than just one, to develop the characters more(or at least I hope it won't be wasted efforts) while general pivot chapters(such as Weinberg and Joshua's conference with SCP-343) will last only one.

 **General Addressing:** The Three Factions will address SCP-076, I have a real reason for doing it now, so look forward to that tearing apart the-...Ah, I'll wait later to announce that.

.

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 **Here's a list of all SCPs and "SCPs", used in the story so far. All new ones will be bolded, edited ones will be bolded and underlined:**

JSCP will denote a named anomaly inspired by sources other than the SCP(as a prefix, X denotes object, L will denote location, and C will denote an event)

SSCP will denote a subject similar to an already existing SCP, basically SCPs I'd like to use, but is too dangerous for DxD and a less equipped group like Badger Squad to actually handle.

OSCP will be anything that I can think of that is not inspired by anything, an "OC" SCP(won't mean someone did something similar though)

 _ **Chapter 1:**_

JSCP-X001: Not officially made, but think of SCP-096 except multiple times its size. And without its signature freakout stage.

 _ **Chapter 2:**_

No anomalies exist in the second file.

 _ **Chapter 3:**_

[EXPLAINED]: Just a stray devil. Not an anomaly

SCP-2440: The main SCP, in case you guys haven't figured it out by now, just go ahead and google SCP-2440 ;)

 _ **Chapter 4:**_

SCP-1730: This is the location of the chapter, although more specifically, the "depths" of the anomaly.

SCP-2316: The original Site-13 of SCP-1730 had this anomaly, so I thought it'd make sense that there is more than just one area that 2316 has occupied.

[PENDING]: Personal SCP, think Rashaka Demon from Akame ga Kill for anomaly 1, a human at the peak of all its abilities for anomaly 2, and similar to SCP-106 for anomaly 3

 _ **Chapter 5:**_

SSCP-X610: A recreation of SCP-610, except it does not seem to grow or actively aim to infect and consume organisms.

SSCP-X610-1: Organisms that are "hosts" for JSCP-X610, very much like bloaters in post-apocolyptic video games, they tend to explode to shower unfortunate operators with JSCP-X610, which would ultimately spell death.

SSCP-X096: The flesh hungry test subjects are failed instances of a recreation of SCP-096, they can be aggressive, but it takes prolonged period of time for them to register being seen and even longer to become agitated.

 _ **Chapter 6:**_

No anomalies exist in the sixth file.

 _ **Chapter 7:**_

No anomalies exist in the seventh file.

Possible anomaly to be noted: Devil going by the name of Yuuto Kiba had abruptly switched loyalties according to statements made by the ORC. No telemetry records are available, but [REDACTED] and Kiba had become uncontrollable upon the made statements. Matches the tests done on SSCP-X096 and [DATA EXPUNGED].

 _ **Chapter 8:**_

 **SCP-076:** **Refer to the Foundation database for the full documentation of SCP-076**

 **JSCP-X1001:** _ **[DATA EXPUNGED]**_

 **ALERT: New Group of Interest - Khaos Brigade _[DATA EXPUNGED]_**


	9. Weasel Squad - OPERATIONAL

**Hope you like the chapter. Had a bit of fun doing the GOI for the ORC.**

 **As usual, at the bottom goes Author's Notes, then reviews, then the index of SCPs that have appeared in the chapter.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing. Support official release of DxD and be sure to visit the SCP wikia.**

* * *

 **New Persons of Interest and Groups of Interest:**

Occult Research Club

 **Overview:** The Occult Research Club is a small group based in a small town in ████. The group is not considered an organization due to its size and nonexistent hierarchy. Headed by a supernatural entity, its original goal was simply to subjugate stray Devils(not to be confused with Demons) and complete humane tasks requested by humans. However, after [DATA EXPUNGED], and at the request of the leader of the ORC, the ORC officially became an asset for MTFs operating in their town for the Foundation. They are free to contact the Foundation for information and updates-albeit with highly limited access-with an exception being in any relation to their town, ████, Japan. In addition, the ORC, in addition to several other groups, aided MTF Delta-7 and MTF Tau-9 in the containment of SCP-████.

 **Members:**

Rias Gremory: The club leader of the ORC and King of the Gremory Peerage. Born in ██/██/████, Rias Gremory became the heiress to the Gremory Family after [REDACTED], entering the human world shortly after being crowned heir for stated reasons.

Akeno Himejima: The vice-president of the ORC and the Queen of the Gremory Peerage. Akeno Himejima joined the Gremory Peerage in ██/██/████ after journeying to ████, Japan and [REDACTED].

Koneko Toujou: Before joining the ORC, Koneko Toujou was known as Shirone, sister of ██████. After being taken in by a devil, [REDACTED]. This led to the ordered execution of Shirone by multiple groups of Devils before the current Lucifer, ████████, requested that Shirone be taken in by Rias Gremory.

████ █████: [DATA EXPUNGED]

Issei Hyoudou: A male human born in ████, Japan. Outside of [DATA EXPUNGED], Issei Hyoudou had no notable abilities. However, this item was the cause of his death-killed on ██/██/████ by ███████-and taken under Rias Gremory's care shortly afterwards.

Asia Argento: A nun of the Catholic Church for ██ years before she was excommunicated on ██/██/████ for [REDACTED]. After journeying to Japan to attend a sermon planned to be hosted on ██/██/████, in ████ Asia Argento was killed before being taken under Rias Gremory's care.

Xenovia Quarta: Originally an exorcist for the Catholic Church, before leaving on ██/██/████ after [DATA EXPUNGED] to join the Gremory Peerage on her own accord.

████ ██████: [REDACTED]. He joined the ORC shortly after his death on ██/██/████, acting as the direct mediator and main form of communication between the ORC and the Foundation and leader of ██████ Squad, comprised of the ORC, himself, and Badger-Seven.

* * *

"So where are you off to now?"

The pig-tailed woman turned around and put her hands behind her back, grinning, "To Vatican City. The pope called me there for some reason, and said it's urgent."

Her violet eyes fell to the wrapped cloth in the man's hands, the inside which contained several shards and hilts. The man realized this and held it up to her.

"Thanks, Ethan."

"Mhm," he gave a half-hearted reply, and she noticed it, but declined to call him out on it. Irina knew exactly why he was distant.

Regardless, she smiled because she didn't make herself clear. "I didn't mean bringing this for me. I meant staying here to see me off."

He focused his gaze on her and blinked. "It was nothing. I'm supposed to stay in Kuoh for a bit longer than intended to follow the ORC to Kyoto."

Irina widened her eyes, mind racing at the reasons that made it possible. She couldn't think of any, "Why?"

Ethan gave a ghost of a smile, "No particular reason. Badger Squad were going to Kyoto regardless of their reason, but they're going because it is a field trip. Weinberg and most of the team are going ahead to get things set up, hotel and all. Eric and I will stay behind and be chaperones for the trip."

She nodded, her mouth open ever-so-slightly, "Interesting..."

They stood still, waiting for the train to arrive. Irina glanced over and found him staring off into space again, "Won't it be awkward being with them? Considering you..."

"Killed Kiba?" Ethan finished. "Probably. Not letting it bother me. I did what was necessary, and the only thing we could in that situation. If they let it get between us, I can take the blame for causing the rift, but it's going to be their fault for letting it screw up a battle."

Irina smiled and shook her head, "Cold as usual."

"I like to see it as 'Foundation thinking,' also known as being pragmatic. Save your teammates if and when you can. If you can't...well let them be and do what they can to help _the_ mission."

"So you adopted it, I guess?"

"Will it get in the way of our relationship?" he inquired.

Irina sighed and approached a bench, which a couple got off of to step onto a train that rolled into the subway. Ethan followed silently, "Not as much as when you joined Valper, but sometimes they just scare me."

"I see," he replied.

"At least you're independent," Irina added, before glancing at him, "I hope."

He burst out laughing, but quickly returned to the gloomy mood he held, the smile shrinking, "You mean compared to Xenovia?"

Her bright character dimmed, "I just don't get her. She doesn't like the things she faces in the Foundation because it goes against the norm of...I dunno, _reality_ , and just leaves hard-working men and women behind, people who I knew were a good team. Then she finds out _God_ is dead, and felt her whole life was a lie and is lost. Not only does she leave the Foundation, but...the Church, and the person they serve just like that. Based on a few words and pictures."

Irina punched the armrest, "Of all things for me to learn upon waking."

Ethan watched her red eyes and circles that were slowly appearing under them. She raised her hands to her face, covering a portion of it as she stared off into the distance.

"Now you see why I call you an idiot when you don't see why I dislike her?" Irina punched him with an admirable strength, almost equal to a supernatural's own strength.

"Be quiet, meanie."

He scoffed then put a hand on her thigh as the pain quickly faded. "I said this yesterday, don't feel down or lose faith that God is dead. The world runs like normal, and miraculous things still happen. There must be a reason for that."

She waited for him to continue, "Why's that?"

He didn't reply, but only waited. Irina was quiet for a moment before asking tentatively, "Is someone taking his spot?"

"Precisely. That's my guess anyway. You can ask to figure things out, but frankly, I think nobody knows God is dead. So...you really, _**really**_ need to find the right people to ask this."

She nodded, understanding how groundbreaking the truth is. "I'll be very careful."

"Good," Ethan answered and pointed, "That your train?"

"Oh!" Irina jumped up, leaving the broken Excaliburs behind. He shook his head as he picked them up, along with one of her bags as she cried, "Let's go!"

He calmly jogged over to her at the door of the train and handed her her belongings and the shattered Excaliburs, "So next time?"

She nodded eagerly, and began to bid her farewell before stopping and turning around, hurrying to plant a kiss on his cheek. He frowned and reached up, "Iri-"

"I know you still like Sylvia," she smiled, her eyes and expression holding no sorrow at that fact, "But I just wanted to do that as appreciation. For doing everything you can, despite people going against you."

He nodded.

"For Sylvia-"

"Speak no more. There's nothing we could have done."

Irina shook her head, "If I wasn't brash, I wouldn't have been injured, and I could have easily helped." She met his eyes, "Sylvia would have lived. I guarantee that."

He looked at her, eyes glistening before drying up before he blinked and wiped away the emotion, "Maybe. No guarantee."

Ethan waved farewell as her as she turned to look out the window and stayed at the platform, out of the way of traffic as he waited.

Only after the taillights of the train faded did he turn around and begin walking away.

He advanced up the stairs, ignoring the bustling of pedestrians as he made his way to a car that was parked under a streetlight. The locks clicked at his approach, and Ethan slid onto the passenger's seat, slamming the door shut.

"Where is Irina off to?" the driver asked as he twisted the keys.

"Vatican City."

The driver nodded sagely, "Huh. I should have expected. Guessing the Pope called for her."

"Yeah."

Eric flashed the blinker left before pulling away and accelerating down the dark road, "Excited for the Kyoto trip?"

Ethan shrugged, "I'm not sure, if I were honest. It isn't like we're going there to relax."

He chuckled, "Solid reasoning there..."

"I'd just like to leave this place for a bit. Been looking forward to it for that reason, at least."

"..." Eric glanced to the side at Ethan for a quick moment before setting his eyes on the road, "So, Khaos Brigade. I heard it's a terrorist organization from Michael, you ever had to handle them while being an exorcist?"

Ethan shook his head, "I never heard of them until two days ago."

"Makes you wonder just how many more hidden groups there are, no?" The man smiled and pulled off the main road, driving towards Curie's home in the outskirts of town. "Tau-9 wasn't formed until a little after 1950, when the Foundation encountered the anomalous and supernatural entities during the second World War.

"Tau-9 became a secondary MTF when there was no immediate need for a supernatural team, kept alive by the combined efforts of Michael after his tour in Iraq and Azazel. Children of God wasn't something we knew about until a couple decades ago.

"Then we were recommissioned as a primary team very recently once we figured out the supernatural became more active about half a decade ago. SCP-2440 wasn't active until a few _months_ ago, and now we learn that this whole fucking _**terrorist organization**_ that possibly has the most dangerous sentient weapons to revive SCP-2440 just this week." Eric shook his head chuckling, "Big ass snowball if you ask me."

Ethan smirked and shrugged, "Just like in stories."

Eric chuckled, "Hell yeah, brother. Fucking chosen ones and all that shit. Makes you expect _us_ to be the ones shutting down 2440. Trying to wrap my head around that if that's the case."

He grinned, only to have it wiped when Eric suddenly stomped on the brakes, making the two jerk forward while the the car began screeching. "OUT!"

Ethan stormed out the door once Eric unbuckled both their seatbelts, the latter opening the trunk once he slammed the car into park, before he rolled out of the car. A beam of energy blasted through the windshield and into the back seat as the two ran to the back and grabbed rifles from the back of the sedan, the flimsy car doors concealing their run.

"Drop the weapons," a young, slightly Asian voice called. "We have no intention to be an enemy."

"Could have flagged us down the road, you fucking prick," Eric muttered under his breath. The man that approached had a spear held over his shoulder. Though it looked plain and simple-shaped with a polished, blue wooden handle with a bright spearhead on top and the only added aesthetic being a cacedus underneath the spearhead-Ethan could feel the power emanating from the weapon.

Eric seemed to know this too, and nodded at the man, "If we fight, take him. I got that Evocator in the back."

Ethan didn't even notice the magician that hung behind. "Got it." He made sure to grab a sword as Eric swapped his M16 for a MK 14 EBR, switching off the safety.

"No need for your names, I already know. May I introduce myself as Cao Cao?"

"What is it do you want to talk about?" Ethan called.

"That magician. Sylvia Lyyneheym," the glint in Cao Cao's eyes noticeable. Ethan froze at the name, but quickly got over the shock and simultaneous despair.

"She's dead." Ethan didn't even see the Asian man move when the spearpoint stopped in front of his throat.

Eric trained the sights on the Asian man as the air began to tremble.

"You're lying." The two stared at each other in the eyes as Ethan gritted his teeth in frustration. "...Or maybe not."

He stabbed the spear into the dirt and cursed, before whirling around, "How did she die?"

"KIA."

The man nodded somberly, "Shame. When?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Answer the question."

"No," Ethan shot back.

The man smirked as he twisted his waist to look at Ethan before taking slow steps around and towards him.

"I can force you to spit out the information."

"Then try it," Ethan held out the scabbard, drawing his sword ever so slightly while the ground rumbled. Cao Cao smirked and stepped back, pausing when he felt the raised dirt and the point of a Holy-Demonic sword digging into his shoe. Ethan scowled at his action and took a step back too.

"I'm not here to fight, hopefully I need not say this again." Cao Cao observed Eric and Ethan. "May I know when?"

"No more than a month ago."

"Was it to a supernatural?" Cao Cao stared at the polearm, admiring it as he asked.

"...Yeah." He turned his eyes on Ethan then at Eric, a shine in his eyes as he glanced at the latter.

"Interesting, both of you are humans, yet seem to have the capabilities to match some of the supernatural, apparently." The Asian chuckled and held his spear over his shoulder again, tilting his head, "Well, the weaker kinds. But it is still some supernatural nonetheless."

He nodded and began to retreat, "Then I'll take my leave, as Sylvia isn't alive. I assume you know not to speak up about this encounter?"

Eric called out before he could leave, "Stop. You know of Jessica Lindwall?"

Cao Cao glanced over at Eric, "A message? To the Team Leader of Strike Team 1561 Scaredy-Cats?"

"I don't fucking know," Eric shot back, "Am I part of the GOC with their designations? She should be the team leader of a supernatural _Strike Team_ of yours."

He gave a sly smile, "Of course."

"..." Eric stared him down, his eyes burning lasers. Only at that moment did Cao Cao realize he had a barrel trained on him. He didn't realize it at first because Eric wasn't aiming at the head, at least, not compared to earlier, but the shot was fatal regardless.

"Alright, I'll pass on a message. What do you want said?"

"In Kyoto, in couple of days, we're having a meeting with the Three Factions," Cao Cao's eyes seemed to shine in anticipation and eagerness. "We're inviting her to attend, if she wishes. Tell her to look for Weinberg and she'll have all the dates and details. Pass on this message and you're free to attend too, provided you guys stay put unless the situation calls for action."

Cao Cao smiled, the mouth as wide as the Cheshire Cat's, "Will do. Expect a call from her later on."

"Before you go. Tell her that those attending the actual meeting will need..." Eric tilted his head, scowling in deep thought, "The blacksuits. Professional attire, if possible or desired. The overwatch will need greysuits."

"Understood. No white?"

"Keep them on standby," Eric scowled. "I don't want the supernatural to know that you guys have those as secret weapons. We've already played some powerful hands, and I don't exactly trust them as much as I'd like to."

The Asian laughed, understanding the sentiment. He stepped back and turned around after Eric lowered the rifle, speaking to the mage briefly before they stepped into a magic circle and vanished into thin air with the quick flash of a magic circle.

Ethan glanced over as Eric began returning all the weapons into the trunk, crossing his arms at the wreck of a vehicle, "How'd you know they're GOC?"

"I remember them from a mission a decade ago. Worked under Jessica and only recently she said he's now leading his own team in the same ring of speciality."

Ethan raised an eyebrow, astounded, "And you remember that?"

Eric laughed and shook his head, "I made it a point to remember when that man wiped out a whole army of undead with a sweep of that spear of his."

"Oh..."

Eric took out a phone and dialed a number, "Hey, this is Eric Nelson from the Foundation..."

He waited a second, "Yup, Badger Squad. Our car got wrecked on the way to Curie's home, and it happens to be near somewhat near Kuoh Academy. Think we could get a lift back?"

The man smirked, "Yeah, yeah, no excuses. You guys can fucking fly."

He nodded and answered, "Thanks. I appreciate it..."

Eric began to dial a second number, "Hey, Maidame Curie, it's Eric, we'll be staying with Rias for tonight..."

He gave Ethan an odd look and nodded, "I see...Alright, will do. I'll see you next time then."

Eric hung up and chuckled nervously, "You weren't lying when you said Curie learns everything quickly."

Ethan shrugged, "I just learned to accept to not tell her, since she already likely knows."

The man shook his head, "I'd suggest doing it out of courtesy though."

"Point taken, what did she say?"

Eric began dialing a number but held his finger over the 'Call' button. "She said she won't be home for a while, not here in Kuoh. She's already back in the US for...reasons I don't know. Then she said she'll be gone for even longer doing other work she didn't elaborate on."

He made the final call as they heard a flapping of wings overhead. Eric held a finger up as a tiny, white-haired girl landed, along with the red-headed leader of the Gremory peerage. "One last call."

"This is Badger-Three reporting to the Field Office. Badger-Seven and I ran into a problem with outsiders and our vehicle is wrecked. We'll need you to recover the equipment inside the vehicle. What you do with the vehicle is up to you." Eric nodded a couple of times and began answering in phrases Ethan didn't necessarily recognize, possibly for identification, taking up several minutes.

"Thank you. Have a good night."

Eric put away the phone and asked, "You mind waiting here for them to pick up everything? They'll take around ten minutes, tops, to arrive."

Rias looked inside the trunk and at the weapons inside, a stunned expression on her face, possibly from never seeing the assortment of equipment before.

That's likely the most case, considering that Devils are more accustomed to magic, the Thaumaturgy and Evocation types of magic. Because it _is_ effective, they never sought to advance technology to automatic firearms. Hell, who knew if they even used powder weapons?

"The weapons aren't too much of a loss expense-wise," Eric reassured her, "But it's still irresponsible to lose these things to a street thief. Not to mention the cover-up we'll need if someone uses them for a shooting."

Rias seemed to understand. "Then while we wait, may I speak with you?"

Ethan raised his eyebrows and pointed at himself when she looked at him, "Sure? I have no problem."

She looked at Eric, who scoffed, "Don't need my permission."

"Well, since your Captain has left Kuoh, you're in charge, no?"

"You still hold a higher position, technically," Eric smirked, then looked over at the Koneko, who was shifting through the backseat of the car, "Looking for something?"

Koneko looked up for second before continuing her search, "I smell snacks."

Rias slipped a smile as she turned around, "May we walk out of earshot?"

Ethan nodded when Eric pulled up a ruined duffle-bag and tossed it into the passenger's seat, grabbing another on the far side of the car.

Rias set her hands on her hips while she collected her thoughts walking. "When we get to Kyoto, a portion of my peerage might not cooperate with you, you're aware?"

"Completely. I don't blame them."

Rias sighed, "...And here I was hoping I can find a way to extend this conversation."

"No worries," Ethan chuckled. "The fact you've come all the way out here and that you're patient, it's safe to assume you don't hate me either, right?"

She didn't reply for a minute, "No. I don't...not necessarily. I fully understand why you did what you did, and Yuuto reassured us there was no chance to save him. Unlike what you stated, he was permanently turned."

"Wait," Ethan interrupted. "He knew for certain there was no coming back?"

Rias gave a single nod.

"Shit. That's not good."

"Why?"

He shook his head, "Imagine a whole army losing all rational thought. All they can do is aim to kill...I'm worried about civilians who get caught in the crossfire."

"What are you talking about?" Rias asked.

Ethan raised an eyebrow, "Oh. You don't know."

He lowered his voice and answered, "When Kokabiel was interrogated, he said that a terrorist organization has all of his successful test subjects. _All_ of them. We both know what happened with Kiba. What if we were to have the new owner let those...subjects loose into the world, only to flip that switch when he wants chaos?"

Rias stared at him, "That's..."

"He said himself he makes those subjects...those _supersoldiers_ only because he wanted an army to use, as nobody in the Fallen Angels backed him. But his pride got in his way and he refused to use them himself in his infiltration of Kuoh. We got lucky at Kuoh Academy, Rias. The next person, who knows? We already got a global BOLO in the Foundation, but we haven't successfully secured _anybody_ yet. That's how mundane they are. Completely human until their switch is flipped."

"BOLO?"

"Basically have all your eyes and ears open," Ethan waved a hand. "We're expending our resources for an enemy we can't even find. It's just...worrying."

She didn't respond. "Is there any way we can help?"

"Probably, but we don't can't use any right now," Ethan scoffed, "No one can figure out how to differentiate the humans from the subjects. I guess if you guys have a way to, it'll help immensely to let us know."

Rias nodded, "I'll keep that in mind."

They were quiet for several seconds, eyes meeting briefly a couple of times, "Back on topic, you said 'not necessarily'. So you don't like my decision?"

Rias was taken aback at the question and scowled. "Not at all. I wish you could have done something about it. I know there was no way to save him, but..." She exhaled heavily. "I just wish you had tried to help him, at least."

The frustration in her voice was tangible, but there was no helping it, Ethan lamented.

"I'm sorry," Ethan replied simply. Rias looked at him and smiled, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"That was unnecessary."

"I think it is." They let silence envelop them for another minute before they heard a car begin pulling in and watched as a beam of headlights shone their way, "You're ready?"

Rias nodded, "Yes."

The field agents had already left their vehicle when the two of them arrived, animatedly speaking to Eric, who was scowling and nodding at the same time. Koneko was waiting patiently at the driver's seat, swinging her legs playfully as she nibbled on a foot-wide chocolate chip cookie while several agents were loading the weapons into their van.

The three watched Eric who gave a thoughtful expression as the agent led him towards the Foundation-issued vehicle. They entered the back of the van for a quick moment, before hopping out. Eric was now holding a slim, grey laptop under his arm, void of any markings indicating it belonged to a company.

He strolled over to them as he talked, "...We call if them if we need to act, right?"

"Correct," the field agent beside him responded, "Then you know the procedure from there, VPN and everything."

"Mhm," Eric nodded. "Thanks Aru."

The agent nodded, then turned on his heel and walked over to the passenger's seat of the van, climbing in as two stayed behind, making a call presumably to a shell company to pick up the van.

Eric faced Rias, "Alright, ready?"

"What was all that about?" Rias asked as she pointed to the laptop. Eric sighed as he reached into the car again, picking out Ethan's duffel bag and tossing it to him, who caught it effortlessly.

"A team was sent here after the local fire department responded to an alleged gas leak, they found several evidences showing otherwise, and the field agents in the fire department called on the main post," Eric pointed over his shoulder with his thumb, "Which are these guys, who in turn, contacted command. So the team arrived but went MIA. Command is trying to reestablish a connection, but so far no luck. They don't have another team ready yet, it'll take half a day. We might be called up for the task."

Koneko slinked around to the opposite side of the car, grabbing hold of a green duffel bag and holding it close to her chest. Eric grabbed the final three, and was shouldering the second one when Rias gingerly took it from his hands, which he let go of.

Rias gave a concerned look as she shouldered it with ease, "Does this happen a lot?"

Eric shook his head, "I wish I could tell you. But this has happened in the past, I know for a fact."

"I assume we know where they vanished?"

He nodded, "Could we get back before continuing the conversation?"

Rias seemed taken aback, "Ah, sorry. My curiosity got the better of me."

Eric grinned as a magic circle appeared beneath their feet, "Not a problem."

The four were now in the room of a living room, the wallpaper a bright blue, reflecting the incandescent light all over the space. "So...where did the team vanished?"

"At a-" Eric snapped his fingers, "Wait a sec, gather everyone around. It should be in the mission briefing, let me boot it up real quick."

Ethan put down his duffel beside the couch and joined Eric on the strawberry colored couch when the latter sat down, setting the laptop onto the coffee table centered between the three couches with two duffel bags beside it. The laptop was booted, the login screen appearing within seconds, devoid of any aesthetics, a simple text box placed onto the center of the black screen.

Rias glanced at the screen before leaving the room to wake up the rest of the peerage. Eric's fingers flew over the keyboard as he entered his credentials and assigned team. After all was inputted, the screen roared to life soundlessly, the black quickly fading away as the Foundation's logo appeared on a grey background, a black highlighted on bright grey.

Eric let out a small breath as he tapped through several applications and folders, Rias returning with Issei, Xenovia, Asia and Akeno in tail. The former two seemed to glower at Ethan when they recognized him, but Ethan quickly shifted his eyes to Akeno, who had begun paying attention to Eric's concentrted expression. Asia was the only one who was oblivious to the atmosphere, though Ethan did note a slightly negative look from her.

Eric sat back and looked at the peerage, "Everyone's here?"

Rias nodded, and Eric began searching the black duffel bag, pulling out several cables. The peerage looked over at Koneko as she picked through the duffel bag in her hands, pulling out a bag of gummy bears and opening it, observing as Eric began linking the laptop to the television in the room.

Eric stood up from his position when he finished the job, turning around, as the file began buffering, "I won't be explaining a lot, as the mission briefing should contain all the information. So do pay attention."

Rias nodded as she crossed her arms and Eric made sure to look at everyone in the eyes as he got a confirmation.

"This isn't your usual mission. This one is a very time-sensitive mission and we might just be sent out tonight. I know you have assignments to do before your field trip, it is two in the morning, and you might not care, but this is now officially your part-time job."

"Ara, we didn't ask for this," the Queen of the Gremory peerage mused as she strolled to a closer end of the couch.

Eric raised an eyebrow, "You do realize that when you guys signed up, this is what you asked for?"

Akeno moaned, "I was hoping work was within _**reasonable hours**_." Eric chuckled.

"Reasonable isn't always the case with us, as you can tell," he answered waving his hands towards the window and the darkness outside.

" _Greetings, Agents."_

The video interrupted the banter and the peerage began taking their seats on the couches, Ethan and Eric staying standing up and close by, watching the television.

" _Yesterday night, Huawei Facility suffered what appeared to be an explosion caused by a gas leak. Prior records, comments, and public reviews support the fact this is accidental, caused by negligence from management. However, upon closer investigation by the responding fire department, reports affirmed several discrepancies."_

A hand reached up beside Ethan and he glanced down to see the short, white-haired rook of the Gremory peerage offering him a portion of the gummy bears silently. He nodded thanks and reached into the bag as the video continued, displaying several angles of the hospital, including: the entrance, the holes blown into the walls, corridors and rooms, including several bodies.

" _1\. There were no signs of an actual gas leak._

 _2\. The several "explosions" were clearly points of entry by an unknown invader._ _ **Entries were several stories up at**_ _: the eastern wing of the fifth floor, the northern side of the eighth floor, and the southern wing of the eighth floor. Investigations of the rooms contained the broken window and frame of the building._

 _2a. No other rooms were broken into other than the ones that held a damaged portion of the building. They were, in fact, perfectly undisturbed._

 _3\. There was only one place of exit, the rooftop. Witnesses have testified nobody left from the ground floor and several witnesses claimed to have seen four entities fleeing southwest from the rooftop. These witnesses have been administered with amnestics for security purposes._

 _4\. Several equipment were missing: Five intravenous fluid stands, three gurneys, and surgical equipment._

 _5\. There were several apparent patients that were found in several rooms, but after cross-referencing various lists, these were not patients nor were they visitors. These people appear to have been the equivalent of D-Class personnel. Some were violent upon encounter and these were quickly neutralized. Several others were also put down, due to several factors: consuming the corpses of humans, doggedly following Foundation personnel despite repeated warnings(either having the desire to take the equipment or trying to seduce the agents into intercourse), and others were in a deep coma, as all attempts at waking these patients proved futile. All survivors and deceased were taken into a Foundation secured facility for investigation._

" _MTF Hotel-7 was assigned to the town of Kuoh to investigate the events, they confirmed the effects of an anomalous object on the patients that were transported on-Site. In addition, they debunked the possibility of Huawei Facility being anomalous. All equipment was thoroughly tested by the team and conclusions were made that at least one of the equipment stolen contains anomalous properties._

" _Hotel-7 launched an operation to the previous location of Huawei Facility, the best possible location for the storage of the equipment in addition to being a safehouse for the thieves._

" _However, contact with the team was lost and connection was not reestablished with the team._

" _27 hours has passed since the connection was lost with the final member._

" _Our primary goal is to recover the hospital equipment with anomalous properties, our secondary goal is to extract Hotel-7 from their last known location. If and when you are given the green light to proceed with the operation, perform it carefully. We do not know what we are up against, and it is enough to take down an entire MTF squad."_

"Ara," Akeno cried, putting a hand to her cheek, as the video faded to black, "If that's the case, why hasn't anyone made the initiative to rescue the team?"

Eric began disconnecting the cables. "Firstly, I've been told we have no teams on standby and ready to deploy immediately. They are only just getting ready to send another, MTF Pi-1, since they finished their AAR..."

His eyebrows scrunched together in thought, "Their post-mission reports, as you will. If Hotel-7 is lucky, they will arrive within the next day."

Akeno sidled up to Eric and smiled, "They're your teammates, aren't they?" She looked back at Rias while keeping her mischievous grin, "It'll be a mistake to not act."

Eric chuckled, "You mean benefits to saving Foundation personnel."

She giggled as Rias sighed, "You're right...there's that. And we save your comrades too."

Eric shook his head, "Correction to your statements. We all serve the same organization, but that doesn't mean we know each other intimately."

"So simply friends, then?" Akeno smirked.

"Eh," Eric grunted, "More acquaintances than anything."

Akeno rested her hands on his shoulders, "Ara, Eric, you're missing the point. We're only jesting. We'll save the team because we have to."

Eric scowled and shook his head vigorously, putting his hand on her forearm, "No. Wrong. You don't _**have to**_. You guys are not going to focus on that, because that isn't your mission, nor is it mine."

Ethan could see Issei and Xenovia recoil in disgust behind Akeno. It seemed that Eric saw that too, but ignored them.

"Our main priority is to recover those anomalies. Have you _**seen**_ the tapes in the mission briefing? Look what it did to the _humans_ , for fucks sake. There is absolutely _no_ chance we are letting those guys get away with that equipment."

Rias bit her lip, contemplating as Akeno slowly lowered her hands. "Is that what you really want?"

Rias added onto Akeno's question with a nod.

"No. That's not," he raised a hand and cut in before they could reply, "But look at the big picture, you two. We lose a team of six, but can save the town of Kuoh. Hell, if the culprits escape, we can save a different town, maybe a city or country, depending on how ambitious those assholes are."

Eric narrowed his eyes, "Do you know how many anomalies we have contained that can easily wipe out a nation?

" _ **Hundreds**_. Let that sink in. We've lost teams, we've lost civilians, and we had to _sacrifice_ civilians, sometimes. Just so you can sit here, at home, safely, when hundreds of things that can wipe you off the face of the earth in an instant exists right _now_ living in a damn durasteel cell we made."

Eric crossed his arms, "You now know why the secondary mission is to save team Hotel? You know _why_ Ethan made the decision, urged you guys to kill Kiba?"

He met Rias's eyes, then Akeno's, Asia's, Koneko's, then stared at Issei and Xenovia, "Because if you choose to save those who matter to you when you _**can't**_ , all of you would be dead. Deader than eviscerated dead. You saw Kokabiel? You're going to be ground enough for him to swallow your remains. That's how fucking dead you'll be."

He jabbed a finger at Rias, "You couldn't bear to kill Kiba, and Kokabiel was far out of your league. Kokabiel would have had Kiba, Freed, and himself as the vanguard to a war with the group having the most knowledge on them, you guys, dead.

"It sucks. I know, but I don't care, the Foundation doesn't care. I've had my own teammates die in the line of fire, but the Foundation knows we can't stop and mourn for too long, because our work is never done." Eric brought out his phone when it gave out a harsh ringing, "That's why the world is still safe, even with the current threats. We make the necessary sacrifices, whether _anybody_ likes it or not."

"Badger-Two speaking." Ethan watched his expression change, one of anger to confusion and concern. He turned around and walked to the window of the home, "Has the mission changed? An evac for Hotel? What happened?

"...Alright, no mission brief?" Eric turned back around and met Rias's eyes, before eyeing Akeno, "Yeah, I made sure to run the initial briefing. Did it first chance I got.

"By the way, they're now a sanctioned team, what about equipment?" Eric nodded, "Understood."

Eric covered the microphone of the mobile phone, "Do you guys want to use standard Foundation-issued gear? Armor and everything?"

Koneko uncrumpled and crushed the now-empty bag as she shook her head. Rias and Akeno joined suit.

"They say no, command." He listened longer and nodded, "Alright, think that'll suffice too. Will get moving soon. I should be back in thirty."

He faced them, "Guess you guys got your wish. We're saving them after all."

Rias was the one who answered, "What happened?"

"Dunno, they just got an update and the Foundation wants us to move _now_ ," Eric said as he hung up. "Somebody came up to help and they haven't elaborated on who. I wanted to ask, but they made it clear it was not my problem."

Eric moved quickly to a duffel bag and brought out several boxes within. He snapped the locks open for one of the boxes and flipped the lid over. Inside were contact lenses and an earpiece, with a jacket that was far heavier than it appeared.

"This is highly experimental gear, I'm talking about past 'next-generation'. Something we've wanted to use, but never found the opportunity to. Contact lenses are the cameras and HUD combined, basically our current headgear but super compact.

"Earpiece should be connected to the mobile command center, if not, we'll work on that, since the instructions will come up the moment you pop those lenses in." Eric hefted up the jacket to Akeno, "Jacket is the magical battery pack, some shit with magic and linking it to the lenses, beyond my pay grade to figure out. It isn't particularly armor, so don't let it take a hit. Main reason why we haven't gotten around to using it. You guys will be the first, since you actually have the capability to survive without armor."

Rias took her box and fitted on the contact lenses, then widened her eyes, "Magnificent. This is...breathtaking."

"I'll tell command you approve. Ethan and I will get fitted into our gear," Eric replied curtly as he picked up the two heaviest duffels and passed it to Koneko, who passed it onto Ethan. The moment it was in his hands, Koneko began moving towards a box of her own.

"You two," Eric pointed at Issei and Xenovia, who made no move towards the boxes, "I'm assuming you're staying here?"

They hesitated in answering and Eric sighed, "You got several minutes to make up your mind. Once we get out the door, you can't join. We aren't stopping to any calibration or debriefing with latecomers."

He nodded to Asia, "You're a non-combatan...you don't fight? I think it is best that you stay here."

She shook her head, "No. I want to go."

"Asia, you can't g-" Issei protested as his eyebrows flew up.

"Issei-kun," she interrupted as she lifted up the jacket, holding it close to her chest, face reddening at the struggle to keep it aloft. "Those people could be hurt. I know I can heal them."

"As much as I hate to agree, but Issei is correct," Eric answered. He waved off Ethan to put on the equipment, and as he retreated into the restroom, Ethan heard Asia arguing with Eric and Issei.

"You said you guys hide the monsters away, right? You are humans, like I once was, yet you chose to step up for the people weaker." There was a brief pause. "I want the world to be filled with people like that. I want to save the people who are like that. You can try to stop me, but I will come, because they need your people than they need me."

The voices became muffled not so long after Ethan began pulling on the "skin" of the gear, a single piece of clothing not much different than a wetsuit. The armor came on afterward, and Ethan slung the UMP9 over his head and fitted the extra magazines into the pouches, noting that there would be only a couple of grenades, fragmentation and concussion combined.

He was done within fifteen minutes, Eric done much quicker having finished the conversation earlier and found another room.

In the end, he allowed Asia to tag along, much to Issei's distaste.

Headlights beamed down the street and a long honk followed, Eric nodded, "Alright, ride's here."

Six people left the Hyoudou residence, leaving only two inside, and the six sat in the back of the van as the driver gunned down the street without a word.

 _[Counting six assets. Your team designation will be Weasel Squad.]_

Rias smiled at the name, for just a moment.

"Affirmative," Eric replied. "Eric Nelson, Weasel-Lead. Rias Gremory will be Weasel-One. Then the seniority of team members will be following. Whoever joined first will be Weasel-Two, then we go down the list. Ethan is Weasel-Five. Someone go."

Akeno, who was sitting beside Eric, nodded, "Akeno Himejima, Weasel-Two."

"Koneko Toujou. Weasel-Three."

"A-Asia Argento, Weasel-F-Four." The check was interrupted as the van stopped at a red light. Eric had a hand up.

"Asia, calm your nerves. Take your time and repeat it clearly."

She took a breath and held it, then exhaled. "Asia Argento, Weasel-Four."

"Ethan Sakamoto, Weasel-Five."

 _[All names and designations are recorded. Weasel Squad is now an operational team.]_

"Command, how's the feed from Weasels One through Four?"

 _[Everything is crystal clear. Audio and visuals are at 100%.]_

Eric nodded at the informal telemetry check. "Weasel-Five, equipment check."

Ethan followed the procedures, "Sidearm, check. SMG, check."

"Sidearm, check. SMG, check." Eric followed up.

 _[Affirmative. The Devils don't need any checks?]_

"Not unless they need a check on their mana and connections." Rias shook her head as Eric put down his weapon. "Negative, command, magic is still fucking magic."

 _[Copy that, we're there.]_

"That was fast."

 _[Location was near, this is a populated area, and was a good for the previous location of Huawei Facility.]_

The van pulled over to the curb, and Ethan noted that there were many police officers flitting about the streets.

Though the lights and sirens weren't active, there were clear roadblocks and detours being created by the present authorities, obviously to keep the normal civilians from entering the area where an active operation was taking place.

He felt a tug on his arm and looked to his right, looking down when he saw white hair at his chest level. Koneko pointed at Eric without a word, who was waiting at the entrance as the Devils began hustling.

Ethan jogged over with Koneko in tow.

"Alright. So again, we have another active team inside. I was not informed on who or what they are, but they are allies."

Everyone shared concerned glances. "I'm surprised I'm not told, command said I don't need to worry until I find them, then I'll know exactly who they are. Same for you all. So don't shoot immediately if you see someone," Eric scratched an ear, "Erm, same applies for magic."

"Telemetry check," Ethan called as everyone nodded.

"Weasel-Lead, all weapons functional."

 _[Loud and clear, proceed please.]_

"Weasel-One, I feel nothing wrong."

 _[Copy that, don't get lax, Weasel-One. Devils aren't invincible.]_

"Ara, do I need a catchphrase? Weasel-Two is all ready~"

 _[Good to go, Weasel-Two.]_

"...Weasel-Three...a-okay?"

 _[100% on video and audio. Also, no pauses, no delays. We need you to act quick. Reply instantly, Shirone.]_

The devil twitched at the name, "Okay."

 _[Better. Asia?]_

"Weasel-Four. I'm ready."

 _[Take deep breaths if you're nervous. You're within family and good hands, Weasel-Four.]_

"Weasel-Five, gone through my checks. Nothing different than the last three minutes."

 _[You're live and broadcasting, don't cut corners on checks. Remember Tallanov.]_

Eric nodded and rested a hand on the door of the hospital.

 _[Remember we might lose contact. Do prepare. Devils, this is your first mission, I think you'll do a lot better than the exorcists, do not disappoint. Awaiting a green light...]_

Two heartbeats passed as Ethan pushed through the ORC.

 _[Operation Detox is greenlit.]_

* * *

Gunfire echoed off the city walls, and he stumbled to cover the ground to the helo awaiting him. "Fucking go!"

But his teammate refused to let go. Despite knowing that he had no chance to live, his teammate still tried, still hoped that he would somehow live. "You're slowing down! Let me go!"

"Shut the fuck up," his teammate growled, "We're getting out of this together, Captain."

"You fucking idi-" the explosion shook the floor and he cursed, looking for the smothering wreck of the helicopter, but found it intact. "What the he-"

He shot his head upwards at the building falling, "BERT! MOVE!"

He jerked awake before it fell on him, spitting curses as he crawled away from the looming figures over him.

"Calm down! We're here to help!" The girl in front of him knelt, holding her hand in front of him.

"No, why me? Where's the fucking team?" He held his hand up to his ear and depressed a button, "Hotel-Three to command, you copy?"

 _[This is command, where is your squad?]_

"I don't know, we entered and lost contact with you guys shortly after, then all hell broke loose. Hotel-Two is dead and I don't know how the others are." He eyed the people in front of him warily, "Am I the only survivor?"

 _[No confirmation on that yet, Hotel-Three. You're secured and we're coming to extract you. You're in friendly hands.]_

"So they saved me."

 _[Correct.]_

He looked directly at the girl's blue eyes, "Thanks. Did you tell them to come here? Should have waited. I have to get back."

"No you're not," came the deep, aggressive voice from the back. He couldn't see the man, just barely his silhouette as he watched the girl and himself with his arms crossed. "We aren't wasting more time here. We will stay until your organization brings you home and we're leaving."

The girl in front of him still waited patiently, "What he means to say is that you're too injured to walk with your gear on, much less finish your mission. Even now. You were nearly dead when we found you, and your teammate, Hotel-Two, she's...she didn't make it. We need to hurry back to save whoever we can while you get stitched up."

"Shit," he cursed as he shifted. "Feel as if I got run over by a truck on either side of me."

The girl was calm and spoke quietly, "You _were_ nearly dead. I did my best to heal you up."

"Did a pretty damn good job, then," he replied. "Who are you?"

"I-" the girl stopped herself, "Well, you can call me Inigo-Ten."

That was a name he recognized, by reputation more than anything. Firstly, she, along with Badger-Seven, were the first exorcists indoctrinated _and_ accepted into the Foundation. Secondly, she was confirmed KIA. Though he heard of her legendary purple hair. He wondered, looking at her hazelnut hair, if that was just false information, but that wasn't his concern.

"Inigo-Ten?" he raised an eyebrow and reached for his sidearm but stopped, realizing his weapons were nearby, but out of reach. "You're dead."

"I _was_ , but it's a long story."

"Does command know?"

"They do."

"Command," he called, watching the girl in front of him, "Inigo-Ten is alive."

 _[Correct statement. You're not cleared to know the details. We chose the location specifically for preventing that knowledge. Speak no further of this and you won't be administered amnestics.]_

He was taken aback at the reply, "What? Why?"

"I'm not sure either," she replied. "But I guess that they can use the fact I'm dead to our advantage."

He only grunted in response, "Makes sense."

They heard the motors of vehicles approaching and Inigo-Ten stood as a third person stepped out from the shadows, leaving the room with the man in the back, "We'll get the rest of your team. Just get some rest."

Hotel-Three sighed and laid down, "Shit. Fine. I'm counting on you."

* * *

 **A/N: So, Kyoto is next. After this arc, I promise :P**

 **It'll be a short arc, more of a transition and getting the ORC familiar with what the Foundation does, and for pairing reasons.** **The next two arcs will be shuffling out characters that I have neglected for too long...In addition, you might have noticed Gasper isn't in yet, cause he won't be included. This applies for several other characters, such as: Arthur Pendragon, Bikou, most of the gods like Odin, Great Red, Ophis. Some won't appear because they can't be bothered to help the Foundation, others won't matter because they don't fit the story.**

 **I might include them if I continue the series after I finish this "2440 containment" story, but I'll see if I have the time to make it.**

 **A note, since I won't be able to include many SCPs, I'll release a side-story/doujin/omake story in the future, which would include things like Freed growing up under Valper and how/why he turned to the way he is in DxD, Weinberg's first missions under Tau-9, things like that. But this will apply to my follow-up story: If I have the time to make it. There won't be spoilers, at the least I'll keep it to the minimum in the stories, so don't worry about that.**

 **That's it...I think. I have a Discord so feel free to contact me whenever. Shoot a message to Buue#2238 and please mention the SCP crossover in some shape of form, I tend to ignore messages that simply contain "hey".**

 **As for the next chapter(and this arc), I'm still deciding if it should be done as one large compilation, or split into several. I guess anyone who has gone this far can put a vote. Thanks.  
**

 **Reviews:**

 **doomqwer:** Glad you enjoyed the fight and the meeting :) I think you'll like what I will do with the Sealed King, unfortunately, the worshippers will simply be cannon fodder. Maybe a few DxD characters will stand out as independent, but they won't serve any unique roles.

 **DT3:** 1\. It is fine, I had that chapter written right after I finished chapter 7(as a two-parter), so during that week before release all I needed was finishing touches, these next few chapters should be back on schedule of monthly updates :P

2\. Hm, I didn't intend the fights to mimic Fate, but I did aim to make it less "anime-wise" by limiting the amount of talking between fights. A small pet peeve how characters can go through a fight not really paying attention to their surroundings, and live. I did have the chance to extend Freed and Ethan's fight longer, should have done that.

3\. I always saw the conflicts as being sorted/reasoned as "necessary sacrifices". Basing from Xenovia in the anime, and Issei too, those two seem least likely to acept the fact you must let people die for the greater good. Followed by: Asia, Koneko, Rias, Akeno.

4\. Big portion: Yes, the Brigade and Insurgency is coming!

 **NexusPrime42:** More people will die in the story, guarantee. DxD characters and SCP OCs alike. Not soon, but they will. However, I'll do my best to pick people who have to die, not who I dislike/like and who is "most likely to die" based on only one reason. e.g. Asia is "most likely to die" because she can't fight, right? _**But**_ the ORC will give their lives to make sure she makes it out alive. Someone will take the bullet for her. Who would that be? That's what I'm carefully assessing.

I have a feeling I've seen your name before, I'll need to check my old stories if you've posted a review, but strange that I recognize your name vaguely. I suppose that's my problem for not writing for months.

.

.

.

 **Here's a list of all SCPs and "SCPs", used in the story so far. All new ones will be bolded, edited ones will be bolded and underlined:**

JSCP will denote a named anomaly inspired by sources other than the SCP(as a prefix, X denotes object, L will denote location, and C will denote an event)

SSCP will denote a subject similar to an already existing SCP, basically SCPs I'd like to use, but is too dangerous for DxD and a less equipped group like Badger Squad to actually handle.

OSCP will be anything that I can think of that is not inspired by anything, an "OC" SCP(won't mean someone did something similar though)

 _ **Chapter 1:**_

JSCP-X001: Not officially made, but think of SCP-096 except multiple times its size. And without its signature freakout stage.

 _ **Chapter 2:**_

No anomalies exist in the second file.

 _ **Chapter 3:**_

[EXPLAINED]: Just a stray devil. Not an anomaly

SCP-2440: The main SCP, in case you guys haven't figured it out by now, just go ahead and google SCP-2440 ;)

 _ **Chapter 4:**_

SCP-1730: This is the location of the chapter, although more specifically, the "depths" of the anomaly.

SCP-2316: The original Site-13 of SCP-1730 had this anomaly, so I thought it'd make sense that there is more than just one area that 2316 has occupied.

[PENDING]: Personal SCP, think Rashaka Demon from Akame ga Kill for anomaly 1, a human at the peak of all its abilities for anomaly 2, and similar to SCP-106 for anomaly 3

 _ **Chapter 5:**_

SSCP-X610: A recreation of SCP-610, except it does not seem to grow or actively aim to infect and consume organisms.

SSCP-X610-1: Organisms that are "hosts" for JSCP-X610, very much like bloaters in post-apocolyptic video games, they tend to explode to shower unfortunate operators with JSCP-X610, which would ultimately spell death.

SSCP-X096: The flesh hungry test subjects are failed instances of a recreation of SCP-096, they can be aggressive, but it takes a prolonged period of time for them to register being seen and even longer to become agitated.

 _ **Chapter 6:**_

No anomalies exist in the sixth file.

 _ **Chapter 7:**_

No anomalies exist in the seventh file.

Possible anomaly to be noted: Devil going by the name of Yuuto Kiba had abruptly switched loyalties according to statements made by the ORC. No telemetry records are available, but [REDACTED] and Kiba had become uncontrollable upon the made statements. Matches the tests done on SSCP-X096 and [DATA EXPUNGED].

 _ **Chapter 8:**_

SCP-076: Refer to the Foundation database for the full documentation of SCP-076

JSCP-X1001: _[DATA EXPUNGED]_

ALERT: New Group of Interest - Khaos Brigade _[DATA EXPUNGED]_

 _ **Chapter 9:**_

No anomalies exist in the ninth file.


	10. Operation Detox

**As usual, I don't own a lot of these elements. Only some SCPs are my creations and even then, someone might have already posted a similar idea.**

 **The next chapter of Duchess of Hell story will go live shortly after this one is posted.**

* * *

 **[Transmission Intercepted - Saving Download to RAISA server for File ████]**

"So she already headed back to the Foundation?"

"Yes, m'lord."

The man sitting on a throne rubbed his temples. How troublesome. And here he thought that the boy who moved into the Foundation would be the only loose end for him to handle, along with that stupid Tau-9 team. Now an actual Angel is in the Foundation's side, which will lead to a lot of problems once the ball begins rolling.

Fuck it.

He'll just have her killed. Turn everyone on her side against her.

Run her out of her home and banished to become an enemy of who she worked for.

So once she's out of the picture, he just had to worry about the Foundation and the GOC.

"How's the Fallen Angels?"

"They're..." the person reporting winced. "They're all killed."

"Fucking-" the man bellowed in annoyance, "These men and women are _human. **HUMANS**_ , you _**STUPID**_ weaklings!"

He growled and held up three fingers, "Three times. _**THREE**_. We have had two labs locked down and impossible to recover and _twice_ , our missions were stopped by mere _**humans**_ _._ "

The person before him began uttering apologies and he waved a hand, "Fuck it. Get out of my fucking sight. I'll be planning the attack. This one won't fail. And once it is done, we take down four groups that are able to stop our plans, all in one fell swoop."

"M'lord, we will only be taking out MTF Tau-9 and one of many Strike Teams in the GOC."

He rolled his eyes in irritation. It couldn't be helped; this was the incompetence of being the leader of a frail group, gathered with the remnants of the most desperate.

"Those two teams are the ones who are the spearheads to stopping our plans. We take them out and their organizations will be hard-pressed bringing a new team to catch up to the already made efforts."

* * *

The lights swept the room, despite the fact the odds of someone lurking in the lobby was close to zero.

"Clear."

The devils entered after the two humans, walking in cautiously.

 _[No lights. Flashlights off, NVGs on.]_

"Got it," Ethan replied to the command without hesitation, and once he finoshed pulling down and powering on the equipment from his forehead, the room was bathed in tones of green after an initial flash of blinding light.

 _[And the Devils?]_

Eric glanced over at Akeno, who was standing close by, "I believe their vision in the dark adjusts faster than humans and they see much things much clearer."

She nodded as she looked into his eyes.

"I'll remark again, this technology is incredible," Rias said in awe, "We can see in the dark, but I can tell that these lenses are making it as clear as possible for you humans. I'd like to ask how did you make this."

 _[I'm sorry to inform you, Weasel-One, but you're not entitled to that information.]_

"Ara," Akeno sang, "Too bad for you, Buchou."

"It's fine," Rias sighed, "I don't mind."

"Alright, enough of that," Eric scolded them, "We're going to stay in one group for now, but we will have to split up. When that happens, I want Rias and Koneko to join Ethan. Akeno, Asia, you're with me."

"Ara," Akeno purred as she sidled up to him, pressing herself onto his back, "Already claiming me as a woman?"

Eric scowled behind his baklava, speaking with the command at the same time reprimanding her.

 _[Weasel-Two, we do not tolerate such actions on operations.]_

"Don't do that now, Akeno." Her smile faded and she nodded when she looked into his dark eyes as he pulled up the NVGs on his head. "Save that for later."

"Ara, later, you say~" Akeno giggled, "I'm anticipating the surprises you have for me~"

 _[Weasel-Lead-]_

"I got it command. Apologies." Eric put a hand on her shoulder, "I'm not asking you to act professional, but keep the conversation clean."

Akeno opened her mouth then shut it, nodding slowly, "Okay."

"I'll take point. Akeno, stay behind me. Koneko, protect Asia in the center, and Rias, you stay behind Asia. Ethan takes rearguard."

"Whatever you say~"

"Ok."

"Understood."

"Got it."

"Copy that."

They began the exploration of the first floor, Akeno watching his back and sides as he stalked down the silent halls, keeping her eyes on the walls and floors and peering down the connecting halls as he peered into rooms.

Other than status updates, no words were exchanged nor were there anything happening in the first half hour of the operation. Walls were knocked on and furniture was moved, but there wasn't a hidden panel or wall on the first floor. Upon returning to the lobby, Eric tilted his head, "Command, I'm feeling a few presences now."

 _[Unclear, Lead. Repeat again.]_

"You know, like how you know someone is here with you?"

 _[Nearby?]_

"No, in the building."

 _[Copy that. Then best to split up. We've already wasted time here and there's still much area to cover.]_

Eric nodded and pointed to the elevators, "Guess we go here then. Weasel-Five, take your team and go to the second floor. I'm moving up to the third."

Ethan nodded and hit the button for the elevator, the cart taking several seconds to move down to the first floor. "Hey, is it possible someone is on the floor it came down from?"

 _[Possible, Lead. Go up to that floor and proceed cautiously. Weasel-Five, lead your team on the second floor. Move up slowly until we give the command to proceed further.]_

"Got it," Ethan replied as the doors opened up, "Second floor and which?"

"Fifth," Eric responded as he filed in last.

"Nine floors, huh?" Ethan commented. They all waited in silence then the doors opened up, "Have fun hunting the skip down."

Eric chuckled, "You too, brother."

The elevator rumbled up slowly, the leisurely pace maddening. "Eric?"

"What is it, Asia?" Eric responded.

"Didn't the elevator come from the sixth floor?"

"Sharp eye," Eric smiled underneath the fabric, "But thing is, if someone is here, they'll know we're here. As far as he know, they're watching the elevators on floor six. All of us are fucking dead if we go up there now.

"We're taking the stairs up because I got a few grenades to spare."

The chime came not shortly after and Eric pushed Akeno and Asia to the side, "Move, if they're waiting, you're not getting shot."

Akeno tried to protest, but Eric shifted to the opposite side, squeezing out as the doors opened wide enough, "Clear."

She grabbed his arm as he began making his way to the stairs from the sign's guidance.

"What were you doing?"

"You guys are under my care, and I had an obligation to protect you as Rias's peerage and assets of the Foundation."

Akeno hissed, "If someone was waitin-"

"I die and you guys either head down or make a counter," Eric said calmly, "You make the call as the replacement."

She pulled the NVGs off his face and stared into his eyes, her fury evident, "You are _not_ going to do that again."

Eric stared back, frowning, "No promises."

"Promise _**me**_."

He paused and exhaled, "Okay."

 _[Agree with Weasel-Two, Lead. You gave no plan.]_

"We were in a bad spot, I realized they could have predicted us. Better save two than lose three."

There was a pause on the other end.

 _[Logical...We can't disagree with that. Proceed.]_

"Understood. Possibility of visual cognitohazards or spatial anomalies?" Eric ran a hand along the wall as he strolled down the length of the corridor, peering into the room, "SCRAMBLE gear should handle it, but I'm skeptical about the SCRAMBLE potential on the devils' lenses."

 _[...Let us consult the analysts. Report if you find anything.]_

"Got it."

Eric strolled further down as Asia and Akeno followed behind, the former in the middle as the latter looked over her shoulder now and then. "Room is clear."

 _[Copy that, keep searching.]_

The group went down the halls patiently as they awaited the results. They briefly turned around when the place whirred to life, but upon seeing the elevator drop down to the second floor, Eric contacted Ethan, "Was that you?"

 _[_ _Yeah, nothing interesting on the second floor, going up to the third one now. You?_ _]_

"Waiting on analysts to report for any type of anomalies, cognitohazards and the like."

 _[_ _Shit._ _]_

"What?" Eric asked, concern in his voice apparent.

 _[_ _Didn't think of that when searching the second floor. Luck on our side, nothing out of the ordinary. Assuming you have nothing so far?_ _]_

"No signs of anybody," Eric responded. He heard the elevator ring as it reached the second floor, "I got a quarter of the floor searched so far."

 _[Weasel Squad, analysts came up with results. This place had no anomalous properties at all since it has been built. Assuming the intruders came here just tonight, and they are normal supernatural, anomalous properties will be close to 0% possibility. Take it with a grain of salt, we don't know our enemies, and Hotel-7 vanished off the radar within ten minutes of entering the place.]_

"Got it co-" The gunfire was deafening on the floor above, which was captured in everyone's earpieces. "Ethan, you might want to enter the fifth floor."

 _[ Roger all_ _._ _]_

There was a tremendous explosion and Eric covered his ears, "Holy fucking-"

 _[_ _The fuck was that, Eric?_ _]_

"They're getting away!"

"Something, I hear shouting above, change of plans," Eric said as he hurried to the flight of stairs, "get to the first floor and chase after them."

 _[_ _Understood. Command, do we have eyes on?_ _]_

 _[Snipers have eyes on. From the main entrance you entered, they're flying North. Towards the Industrial area, it appears.]_

 _[_ _No visuals from a helo?_ _]_

 _[None.]_

 _[_ _Good. Not sure if it'll be wise._ _]_

 _[Agreed. Weasel-Lead, your team is entering the sixth floor?]_

"We are," Eric held out a hand as he replied, stopping Akeno and Asia. He peeked out the stairs and found nothing and nobody, but heard firing further in the floor. "On the flight, I hear gunfire. Maybe Hotel-7."

 _[Copy that, proceed cautiously.]_

Eric raised his head cautiously around the doorframe, peering down the lit, green hall of his NVGs before ducking back inside and peeking the other way, moving out only when it was apparent there was no ambush.

"Stick behind me and close to the wall," Eric ordered Akeno and Asia, "I'll take point as usual."

Akeno stopped him, "Shouldn't a devil in the front? From our endurance-"

"Denied," Eric cut in, "Devils are more resilient, yes. Maybe four or five bullets no problem, but this thing pumps several rounds in a second, I doubt you'll be fine once I empty a mag into your chest. Least I can do is act as a shield for you to prep your magic."

Akeno opened her mouth and Eric cut a hand swiftly down, "End of discussion. Sirzechs and Rias will be unhappy if you die. I will make sure all of you make it out to live another day, even if it's at the cost of my own life. _**Drop it.**_ "

She bit her lip and nodded slowly.

"Stick to the walls," Eric repeated. "Let's hurry."

The roars were louder now, and the sound neverending. Eric supposed it was because the team firing managed to get the talking guns. Eric pointed down a hall and beckoned to them to follow at a safe distance.

"Command, this is Weasel-Lead, any contact with Hotel-7?"

 _[Negative. Only with Hotel-Three, who was transported away by the second team.]_

"You didn't think to tell me about that?"

 _[It was none of your concern.]_

Eric nodded with reluctance.

"KILL THE ANGEL!" He heard the shout and felt the hair on the air turned frigid for a brief moment.

"Andrew?" Eric shouted, "Andrew!"

"Here!" He heard the clash of metal on metal before more gunfire erupted. Eric ran towards the voice.

He found the Korean-American thirty year-old male crouching at a T-junction, behind several stacked gurneys alongside a Hispanic male in his mid-twenties, back against the wall with a Irish female in her thirties on the opposite end of the hall, the roof on the other end having collapsed, meaning there was only two ways to attack the two here.

"Who else is here?" Eric asked while Andrew Lewis, the leader of Hotel-7 was reloading his rifle. "Where's your armor?"

"Were we stripped of our gear when they got us," Andrew sneered. "We managed to lock down the skip we were sent to find and grab our weapons, though."

He pointed into the room directly on Eric's right, "In there, but don't worry about that shit yet, the Fallen are after us, and we got not a bit of armor on us."

"How'd you survive this long?" Eric asked, scowling.

"Inigo-Ten," Andrew responded with a grin, "Fucking erecting magical barriers with Evocation while her partner is fighting the Fallen."

"What the fuck?" Eric exclaimed. "You're fucking wit-"

He ran around the corner, "Sylvia!"

The girl was actually alive, and didn't seem to age a day than the last time he saw her. It didn't matter that she was turned into shish-kebab earlier this month, she still radiated that energy he knew Ethan fell for.

She turned around, her now-hazelnut hair tied up in a ponytail whipping around the back of her head. Normal, compared to her unique mauve purple. "Eric?!"

"Some help, Andrew!" Eric brought the sights up as a spear flew, colliding with her hand. She dropped it to her side, the barrier shattering upon losing the center of the web, but the Chief Master Sergeant heard his call and pushed a gurney into the hall, propping his rifle up on the side as the Hispanic and Irishwoman fired down the hall Eric came from, a scream of pain resounding before a streak of lightning blasted through the walls of the place.

Both Eric and Andrew fired past Sylvia at the Fallen standing in the open area of a recreation room, arrogantly oblivious to the dangers of mundane weapons. As the Fallen jerked and spasmed from several rounds peppering his chest and head, Sylvia dropped to the floor as a spear exploded when it collided with the flying rounds.

Sylvia saw the Fallen drop to the floor and erected another barrier, turning around and grinning, "Could have warned me, at least."

"Sorry," Eric replied, his scowl softening, "Back up. Back up, right now."

She stepped back and lowered her arm, pushing Eric to the floor as a spear flew overhead. Sylvia ran backwards as she sent bolts of magic at the spears. The Irishwoman had moved across the corridor, joining Akeno as she made sure their flank was clear.

Meanwhile, Andrew and the Hispanic were laying prone, waiting in the dimly lit hall.

The Fallen turned the corner and lined up a shot at Sylvia, who Eric pushed aside. Just as the spears formed, the Fallen's head jerked and popped back before bursting open as blood sprayed from holes in his chest and neck.

"Nice shots," Eric commented as he jogged ahead. He knew both Fallen were certainly dead, but they mentioned Sylvia had a partner. Who? And was he, or she, here? One wall was blown open, leading out onto the courtyard.

Eric sensed Sylvia's approach, "Your partner chased after the Fallen who escaped?"

Sylvia nodded, "Yeah, I'm sure she did."

"Was it Irina?" She nodded. "Why did you come here?"

"What? Well..."

 _[Weasel-Lead, you are not cleared for that information. All you need to know is that the mission is sanctioned by us, Honor-One, and Honor-Three.]_

"Ah, never mind," Eric waved a hand as he stared at the bodies of the Fallen, cutting off Sylvia. "Command said I can't know, secrecy and all that."

"O-oh, okay."

"So Andrew," Eric turned around, "Head count? Who's alive in Hotel?"

Andrew look at the two remaining, "Me, Hotel-One, and Hotel-Four. Hotel-Two and Hotel-Three were KIA in the initial encounter. Hotel-Fiv-"

"Wait," Sylvia cut in, "Hotel-Three is alive. We managed to save him before coming here."

Andrew seemed astonished but eventually nodded, smiling with relief. "Thank god. Who is he with right now?"

"The Foundation, they picked him up when my team and I made our way here."

Andrew seemed in a much brighter mood, before his smile faded, "Good to know. Come here, guys."

They made their way into a room and Eric recoiled slightly as Asia silently ran towards the body beaten beyond recognition. Head crushed in as an arm was pulverized while the other was twisted off, the skin stretching from the dislocated joint. His legs were twisted in angles impossible normally as his neck was twisted in a right angle.

Eric stepped forward, ignoring the smell he had gotten used to over the years, only for Akeno to hold him back.

"I...might need to step outside," Sylvia said as she regained her composure. "That's horrific.

Asia seemed to be in a trance as she lowered her hands, the Irishwoman and Hispanic attempts to restrain her stopped only at Andrew's command.

"By my word, by my touch, be blessed with His light."

Akeno put a hand to her mouth, "Asia never healed anyone like this."

"What do you mean?" Eric turned his head towards the Queen but kept his eyes on the neon green magic circles on the nun's hands.

"She only needs to use her Sacred Gear, no chants. Not to mention she would have been traumatized by this."

"Possessed, then?" Eric asked.

"I...maybe." Akeno seemed uncertain, "Maybe she went into shock but she wanted to save him, waking up something inside her Sacred Gear."

"I don't think he's alive." Eric made the statement as everyone watched the bruises fade and wounds seal, the body reverting to its original state before death. "But what's that thing? Balance Breaker?"

"You know of that?" Akeno seemed shocked. "How?"

"Supernatural team, Akeno," he smiled, "I've had to fight a few humans and Devils with Sacred Gears."

"How'd you live?" she asked in awe, "Humans shouldn't be on par..."

"Bullet," Eric rolled his eyes. "Hasn't it occurred to you yet that a shitton of bullets work?"

"I suppose," she sighed and punched him lightly. "And here I thought you did some magical work, something beyond human."

Eric shrugged, "Command, you seeing this shit?"

 _[Have been since it started.]_

"Cool."

"I think he's awake," Akeno said.

"No fucking way," Eric muttered as Sylvia joined them kneeling around the man.

Asia collapsed but Akeno caught her before she hit the floor.

"Vince," Andrew said once. "Vince, you there?"

Hotel-Five seemed confused, "The fuck? I was dead."

"You sure were, buddy," Andrew chuckled. "How you feel?"

"No different than my first step in this fucking place, if I'm still here."

He didn't even struggle to sit up. "Who are these guys?"

"The backup."

Vince widened his eyes as he took it in, "Must be a hella good team then."

Vince caught Andrew staring at him, "Something up, Andrew?"

"Hold on. Command, we found the skip, but the thing is, the Fallen fucked with Vince. Permission to do a few tests?"

"Wait what?" Vince stood up as Andrew stroked the ice-cold steel. "Fuck that! I ain't getting tested again!"

 _[Elaborate, Hotel-Lead.]_

Andrew turned his gun on Vince who froze up and began protesting. The Irishwoman and Hispanic turned their guns on him in turn. Eric aimed down the sights at the team leader as Akeno and Sylvia looked on, confused.

"Hotel-One, Hotel-Four, help me."

 _[Hotel-Lead. Put your weapon down_ _ **now**_ _.]_

"A test. Nothing stupid, I promise."

Vince still made no attempts to reach for his gun nor protect himself, despite having three barrels aimed at him. Even being so close to Hotel-Four, he didn't grab her gun.

"Protect yourself," Andrew commanded. "The fuck you doing?"

Sweat trickled down his scalp, "I-I can't." They lowered their weapons and Vince burst out shouting, "The fuck you did _that_ for, man? Can't fucking believ-"

Andrew took the brunt of the shouting and apologized, the discussion taking several minutes. "Command, you saw exactly what I saw. The Fallen pressed a few buttons and extracted something from Vince. Beating him to death after."

Vince's eyes became distant, "Shit, that's right."

"The IV stand is what they used. It has to be a skip and I can guess at what it does."

 _[Analysts are running it through programs. We shouldn't be letting you use it, but if you know exactly what to do to put Hotel-Five back in fighting shape, we will permit this use. The way he is condition is, he is not fit for future operations.]_

"Understood. Vince, mind sitting?"

"Sure."

Eric looked over at the drip bag, which had turned red at a press of a button. He was dragged out of his thoughts at the voice of the radio going off.

 _[Weasel Squad, your job is done. Please leave the proximity of the room and exit the building_ _ **now**_ _. The process will be classified until further notice.]_

"Got it," Eric said, hurrying towards the stairs with the three supernatural women in tow. "Now what, command?"

 _[Hotel-7, Weasel-Lead, Weasel-Two, Weasel-Four, you will need an AAR before you are done here for tonight. Inigo-Ten will be required for a debrief too. Weasel-Five hasn't reported in yet, though we are tracking his current location, still within familiar grounds and command is still getting feed. Weasel Squad, we'll be sending his location shortly after your report, along with the new channel you'll be on. Hotel-7, please direct the containment team to the anomaly and casualties before your AAR, and then you're free until the next call. Inigo-Ten, you're not tied to any MTF, feel free to proceed at your discretion after your AAR.]_

Sylvia held up a magic circle and kept it lit for several seconds, "Irina isn't responding, neither is Calreth. I'll try and contact them again later. If nothing, I'll be with you guy until I have to leave."

 _[Understood. Hotel-7 sends their regards.]_

Eric relayed the message and she beamed with pride, "Tell them it's nothing."

Upon finishing, Sylvia tugged on Eric's sleeve, "Hey Eric, you're a team leader now?"

"Well, only for now," he responded, "Weinberg is somewhere else, so I'm filling the spot as most senior operator."

She nodded, then frowned, "But...you're Weasel-Lead. There's five in Weasel Squad, I think...so, who is the missing people?"

Eric looked at her and she seemed startled.

"I didn't mean to be too pressing."

He wiped a hand over his chin, "Was I making a face? Apologies. We don't have Issei and Xenovia in this mission, they stayed back for...personal reasons. Ethan is Weasel-Five for efficiency's sake."

She seemed far more alert than ever before, "Ethan is here? Did he go after the Fallen too?"

"With Rias and Koneko, that's why those two aren't here," Eric said. Sylvia seemed eager to ask more, but a field agent called them over. "Time to go. We'll talk more later."

* * *

 **[Extraneous Information: AAR and Post-Mission Debriefs(Refer to Addendum 2440-Debriefs.3)]**

* * *

Eric stretched and let out a loud exhale, craning his neck and cracking the bones as he rested his hands on the railing.

He felt someone approach and turned, but scowled when he noticed nobody behind him.

Turning back, he jerked when he found Akeno in front of him, floating just beyond the railing

"Mother fuck-" Eric rubbed his temples, "Akeno, I'd rather die to a damn ski-SCP than from a scare, alright?"

The queen of the Gremory peerage stifled a laugh, floating upwards and landing beside him, grabbing his arm, "Or how about dying of exhaustion in bed with me~"

She seemed to catch his somber expression.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No, nothing wrong," Eric responded.

Akeno laughed softly and patted his head, "I can be there to talk, if you need your older sister to talk to."

Eric batted away her hand, though more playfully rather than irritably, "Hadn't had anyone do that to me, ever."

"Cause nobody has stepped up to be your older sister, you know~"

He shook his head, "No way are you older than I am."

"Or am I?" she smiled slowly, sidling up to him for the nth time tonight.

"Then show me what you learned over the last few decades," he said quietly, leaning forward. Akeno blinked and blushed heavily before stumbling back.

Eric raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "What? I took you seriously and it got you off-guard? You _**are**_ a fucking highschooler."

He shook his head, "Fucking kids."

He was twisted aside and had a kiss planted on his lips, Akeno pulling away, her cheeks stained red with mortification. Though eventually the color vanished as he got over his shock, with Akeno stating, "I won't just let you get away with that."

Eric sighed and put his hands behind his head, "Christ. Dating an eighteen-year old. Wonder how Michael will rip me a new one."

"Oh come on," Akeno wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her breasts to his back. "You aren't _that_ old, not like your age will stop me."

He looked over his shoulder, "Correction: I'll be dating a girl who needs to worry about college and loans."

"Ara, worried for me, huh?" She rested her hand on his back, "No worries, Rias offered to pay for my entire time in a university. Money isn't a problem."

Pressing her lips to his ear, "Besides, I can have you pay for my tuition and costs~"

Eric shook his head with a smile as she pried herself away from him and turned around at approaching footsteps.

"How's the team status?" Sylvia asked as Asia hurried to stay by her side. "Do we know what's going on with the missing part team?"

"Dunno," Eric answered, just as his phone rang. "Hello?"

 _[It's Aru. Gear up. Weasel-Five contacted command and needs you to arrive at the Hyoudou residence ASAP.]_

Eric nodded, "There's your answer, Sylvia. Everyone, equipment now."

* * *

They arrived shortly after the call, no more than ten minutes. Despite the urgent notice, there wasn't much activity.

Ethan was pacing the yard, and it appeared Rias and Koneko were inside the house, but he didn't see any movement inside.

Before they approached him, Sylvia held back Eric. He met her eyes, which gave off a mischievous look, "Don't tell Ethan that I'm Sylvia."

He was taken aback at the request, "But he'll be glad you're alive, more than glad. Ecstatic."

She smiled and winked, "I know. That's why I think it'll be fun to deceive him." Sylvia caught his look and assured him, "I won't go overboard doing anything. I just want to see how he feels about me."

"You mean you're insecure," Eric responded. "You do realize-"

Akeno grabbed Eric's arm, "Come on, I think it'll be fun~"

Eric shook his head, "You people and your damn mind games. Fine. Don't fuck with him too much."

Sylvia winked, "I won't be fucking with him, but I can't promise I won't fuck him."

That got Asia to gaze at her worriedly, a blush forming on her cheeks as Akeno was taken aback for the briefest of moments before smirking. Though she did blush, it was more controlled than the former nun's.

"You're a lot more different than before," Eric commented with an eyebrow raised. "This isn't limited to just your appearance."

Sylvia gave a small smile, "Well...it's only the two of us left fighting on the same side. He joined the Helios team the latest, but I am the closest to him. With Freed being a very close second. I don't want to make a love that'll tear us apart."

She had a point there. Eric noticed that they seemed to be at odds twice after making a reunion. Might as well play it safe and blame the bueracracy for letting him know she was Sylvia.

They approached and Eric winced, feeling somewhat guilty about letting Ethan suffer from this. Maybe he'll let him know once they leave Kuoh, considering he doesn't know how long Sylvia will be playing the game.

"You're here," Ethan said. Eric nodded silently. Seeing Sylvia, he raised an eyebrow, "An Angel?"

She seemed dumbfounded, "How'd you figure it out?"

Ethan scowled, "It's pretty obvious, you're definitely not Foundation and you're not ORC."

She smiled, "What if I'm a Fallen?"

He threw his hands up into the air, "Your reaction proved me right, but whatever. Point is you're new."

Sylvia pointed at his exasperation, "Well you're not that kind, are you?"

His eyes bore into her and she visibly retreated. Eric cut into the exchange, "Ethan, what's the issue?"

"Issei and Xenovia were kidnapped when we were gone."

Eric stood in disbelief, digesting the information. Opting to avoid the nonsensical statement, he instead asked, "Where are they now?"

Ethan shrugged his shoulders, "That's what Koneko and Rias are trying to figure out."

"Is there a specific reason why they were taken?" Akeno asked.

Ethan held up to fingers, ticking them both as he spoke. "Boosted Gear, and Durandal."

Akeno frowned at the second answer, "Don't you have Durandal? I recall the Foundation taking it for storage. I can understand Boosted Gear..."

"Yes," Eric said, his eyes sliding over to the two devils and Sylvia-who still had to introduce herself as someone else-as he answered. "But nobody outside knows...yet."

Ethan nodded, "And they're going to be in a big situation when they begin questioning them."

Akeno became concerned at his tone, "Why?"

Ethan glanced at Eric, who ran a few loops in his head, "She...she won't know where it is, nor will she know she used to use the ritual to summon Durandal."

Asia now spoke up, "Huh? She should remember, won't she?"

"I don't know if I can explain that to you guys," Eric answered. "..."

They were waiting as he gave it a long thought. He relented.

"If anyone asks, don't say you know. The Durandal doesn't accept her, so she can't use it. Thing is, we don't know all the requirements for being 'worthy,'" Eric began. "For security reasons, we gave her amnestics. Wiped Durandal from her memory, pretty much."

He sighed, "It got really troublesome, but luckily her knowledge of Durandal was really recent. Hell, she got it just before that Kokabiel raid."

Sylvia spoke up, slightly concerned, "But since she doesn't know _now_ that means they won't believe the truth?"

Ethan seemed to pay attention to her a little more closely, which Eric and Sylvia noticed. "Right. She will keep saying Durandal doesn't exist in her life, but the kidnappers know she used to use Durandal. They will torture and break her, but her answer will never change."

Worry lines creased Akeno's face, and Eric rested a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry so much. The Foundation will work on it."

Ethan smiled, "Already ahead of you. They're sending Thaumaturgists down here to blanket Kuoh for places with concentrated energy."

The group, except Eric, stared at him in disbelief, and Ethan tilted his head, "What? They can do it. It's not as if Kuoh is abundant with magic."

Eric nodded, "Pretty much. I don't bother knowing their specialty, but this is how I can explain things:

"Imagine a road full of bumps and potholes. The road is the consistent magic. The Thaumaturgists can see the potholes, the lack of magic, and it'll spike. The bumps are concentrated magic. They detect that too. We, the MTFs will be investigate based on their propositions, they might even guide us. Simple. We aren't going to be finding people based on a description because we don't need to."

The devils and Sylvia nodded in understanding.

Akeno brought up a question, "Amazing. But why won't you use your magicians more often?"

He chuckled, "Thaumaturgists take so long preparing the spells. We aren't magicians, and do this with the aid of magical items, but without the whole essence to begin it on the spot. We create the circles and objects, but need additional magic circles to collect magic from the environment."

Akeno nodded, now clearly worried. "But...if it takes a long time-"

Eric waved a hand, "No. We can do it, with the help of the ORC. Our spells are the same as your species, the supernatural. But we do it without magical aid. We'll guide you with the proper steps and you will cast the spell. They land by tomorrow morning and the spell should be ready by the afternoon. We strike at night."

Asia cleared her throat, "Mr. Eric?"

He looked at the nun, "Don't have to address me that way, just Eric is fine."

She nodded. "Eric-san," he sighed inwardly at her formality, "You keep saying thau...thaumaturgist? Is there a difference?"

He got a look into their eyes of his words, "Ah. Right. There's a difference."

Eric pointed at Akeno, Asia, and Sylvia, "You three can be classified as a specific type of 'magician'."

At his airquote, he continued, "Evocators. People who use spells for combat. Summoning lightning, fire, ice, destructive powers...yada yada. Those types."

He rolled his hand, "But _Thaumaturgists_ , you guys appear to also be classified as these, are the people who usually focus on long-term spells or spells that have a long preparation time. Magic circles, barriers, those types. You guys, don't need to worry, because you guys _have_ the innate magic within you. We don't, which is why we take a while despite knowing the entire process and materials."

Asia seemed to understand, despite that lost look in her eyes, "Ooh, I see."

Eric nodded, "Nothing to worry about. As long as we understand each other, this contrast shouldn't matter."

Koneko and Rias appeared overhead, causing Ethan to look up, "Any luck?"

Rias shook her head, the anxiety seeping through her composed appearance.

"We'll find them," Ethan stated, the conviction in his voice loud and clear.

Rias was startled, along with the ORC members present. "Every minute we spend not looking, the more their lives are in jeopardy."

"They'll be fine," Eric assured her, "Ethan and I know what they are looking for is the Boosted Gear and Durandal. They won't kill those two until they get it, and Issei isn't one to give up."

Ethan smirked, "He'd fight them the entire way. They have to leave him alive, since a Longinus automatically be removed to passed onto the new wielder upon the wielder's death."

Rias stared at him skeptically, "How do you know that?"

Ethan tilted his head, "What do you mean? Isn't that common knowledge?"

Rias blinked and looked at her peerage, "N-no...we didn't know that."

"Oh," Ethan looked at Eric for support, "But that's a thing for Longinus and Sacred Gears. The ability expires _almost_ instantly. There's only such a timeframe and you even have to do it carefully. Safest way is to take them while the user is still alive."

And Ethan smirked, "You know it'll be difficult for them to take a Sacred Gear when someone is putting up a fight."

"So that explains why Raynare took the Twilight Healing that way..." Rias mused, though mostly to herself.

Eric shrugged, "If you mean while alive and torturing her, yes."

Rias raised an eyebrow at his blunt comment and then asked, "Now what do we do? Twiddle our thumbs and wait?"

Eric shook his head, "Not yet."

Pointing to the backyard, he said, "We will need a clean spot for the huge magic circle. If you won't mind helping me clear out this...?"

Akeno approached with a smile, "Ooh, getting down and dirty, huh?"

"So you're going to help?"

She ran a finger down his chest, "Why wouldn't I help you with some relief?"

He rolled his eyes as Akeno smiled, "Why do I fucking bother with you sometimes."

She took it as a compliment and followed him to grab the keys for the cars in the back as Koneko began moving towards the heaviest equipment.

* * *

 **[Date - ██/██/████]**

 **[Time -** **██:██ pm, Timezone -** ███ **]**

"What's up?" Joshua looked up at his secretary.

"Here's the reports from the standby squad in Kuoh," she said. "It may be of interest."

Joshua scowled at the reports and looked up, "There's no mistake with these?"

She shook her head, "None at all."

"Fucking shit," he hissed as he rubbed his temples. She felt his dread and began to comfort him, walking around behind Joshua and wrapping her arms around him. "I'm fine, Elaine. This shit is just worrisome."

She leaned over his shoulder and pecked his cheek, and Joshua felt her let go and asked what was the problem.

"Based on this, we have _Angels_ that are working with SCP-2440," he sighed, rubbing his index finger against his temple. "We have to tell Michael about this. If SCP-2440 has gotten _Angels_ to work for him, there's no telling its reach."

"May I ask which Michael? Your brother?"

Joshua shrugged, "I was thinking more of telling the Archangel Michael, but telling my brother wouldn't be a bad idea. Especially since he will be meeting the Archangel very soon."

"So you'll be gone again?" Elaine asked worriedly. Joshua nodded, "I hate how you took an office job and you still go off as if you were still in the Army."

"Can't be helped," he replied, resigned.

"I know," she sighed, "Not holding you accountable for that, I was hoping that being in the Foundation would have given more time for us to spend together."

Joshua looked at the ceiling and tilted his head side to side, relieving the tension that built up, "Me too. We would have, even, if we didn't run into the influx of Perfectionists."

That was the simplest term referring to the cultists that dedicated their lives and resources to reviving the anomaly called SCP-2440. They always referred to Xiolt-la as "The Perfect One," so it was a good idea to refer to keep the theme of the Perfection Cult. No different than the worshippers of Mekhane as Church of the Broken God and worshippers of Yaldabaoth having a belief of Sarkicism, derived from the Greek word for "flesh."

Joshua pushed back his chair and met his fiance in the eyes, standing up and pulling her into a kiss, which she passionately returned.

"I'll see you once I get back," he said after they separated.

"I know, I know," Elaine replied and straightened out the papers, staring at a report by Kasumi Toudou, which held events that conflicted with the other members of Weasel Squad.

She diverted her attention to the phone that began ringing, "This is Joshua Ode's office, please refer to The Book for the exact identifying information for title, division, field, and assigned anomaly if applicable. Mr. Odes is not available at this moment, and I'll be taking his calls for the time being. May I ask for your inquiry?"

Elaine listened to the most junior member of Weinberg's Badger Squad speak to her about his concern relating to Kasumi Toudou and the most recent operation by Weasel Squad. As he went on, she couldn't help but focus on the woman's report. There was so many walls and encryption by the Site Director and Overseers she knew that Kasumi was more important than they let on, not to mention the lack of screening compared to other Foundation MTF Operator.

"Yes, I have the report right here. Go on..."

* * *

 **A/N: So been working and planning the chapters, the Kyoto Arc should be beginning on Chapter 14 or 15, though likely the former. I will simply wrap up the remaining parts of the arc in Chapter 13 rather than make a new chapter to work on and have you guys wait another month to begin the "good stuff," especially since there needs to be a lot of planning on the Foundation's part to ensure that none of the supernatural can do something funny.  
**

 **Reviews:**

 **doomqwer:** Thank you! As I type up the chapters, I kind of wish I had Sylvia stay out of the picture longer, but once she is reincarnated as an Angel, there is no reason for Michael to keep her on the sidelines when there is work that he wants done. Though there is the fact that only few people will be heavily affected by her death in the story...

 **DT3:** Ah, I get where you are coming from with the inner thoughts. I might work on that in the future, but I tend to write specifically from one charater's POV in a chapter, rather than in omniscient 3rd person, because having that will ruin some of the "mystery,"and reveal some of the future events and motives. Sylvia's revival will become public knowledge soon, once we hit the Peace Treaty/The King's War arc. Could only hide some facts for so long.

 **FanGirl:** Great! I think you'll like how I will have him puppeteer the future of a lot ofevents and terrorism in the supernatural + human world.

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 **Here's a list of all SCPs and "SCPs", used in the story so far. All new ones will be bolded, edited ones will be bolded and underlined:**

JSCP will denote a named anomaly inspired by sources other than the SCP(as a prefix, X denotes object, L will denote location, and C will denote an event)

SSCP will denote a subject similar to an already existing SCP, basically SCPs I'd like to use, but is too dangerous for DxD and a less equipped group like Badger Squad to actually handle.

OSCP will be anything that I can think of that is not inspired by anything, an "OC" SCP(won't mean someone did something similar though)

 _ **Chapter 1:**_

JSCP-X001: Not officially made, but think of SCP-096 except multiple times its size. And without its signature freakout stage.

 _ **Chapter 2:**_

No anomalies exist in the second file.

 _ **Chapter 3:**_

[EXPLAINED]: Just a stray devil. Not an anomaly

SCP-2440: The main SCP, in case you guys haven't figured it out by now, just go ahead and google SCP-2440 ;)

 _ **Chapter 4:**_

SCP-1730: This is the location of the chapter, although more specifically, the "depths" of the anomaly.

SCP-2316: The original Site-13 of SCP-1730 had this anomaly, so I thought it'd make sense that there is more than just one area that 2316 has occupied.

[PENDING]: Personal SCP, think Rashaka Demon from Akame ga Kill for anomaly 1, a human at the peak of all its abilities for anomaly 2, and similar to SCP-106 for anomaly 3

 _ **Chapter 5:**_

SSCP-X610: A recreation of SCP-610, except it does not seem to grow or actively aim to infect and consume organisms.

SSCP-X610-1: Organisms that are "hosts" for JSCP-X610, very much like bloaters in post-apocolyptic video games, they tend to explode to shower unfortunate operators with JSCP-X610, which would ultimately spell death.

SSCP-X096: The flesh hungry test subjects are failed instances of a recreation of SCP-096, they can be aggressive, but it takes a prolonged period of time for them to register being seen and even longer to become agitated.

 _ **Chapter 6:**_

No anomalies exist in the sixth file.

 _ **Chapter 7:**_

No anomalies exist in the seventh file.

Possible anomaly to be noted: Devil going by the name of Yuuto Kiba had abruptly switched loyalties according to statements made by the ORC. No telemetry records are available, but [REDACTED] and Kiba had become uncontrollable upon the made statements. Matches the tests done on SSCP-X096 and [DATA EXPUNGED].

 _ **Chapter 8:**_

SCP-076: Refer to the Foundation database for the full documentation of SCP-076

JSCP-X1001: _[DATA EXPUNGED]_

ALERT: New Group of Interest - Khaos Brigade _[DATA EXPUNGED]_

 _ **Chapter 9:**_

No anomalies exist in the ninth file.

 ** _Chapter 10:_**

 **SCP-1133: Refer to the file in the Foundation database.**


	11. I Will Be Freed

**Disclaimer: I own nothing in the DxD franchise nor content in the SCP wikia.**

 **The usual stuff is at the bottom. Depending on my mood, I might actually type up the ORC's POV on the mission(you'll see what I mean later). I'm just not really motivated to type up the mission after going through two. Especially since most are pretty short.**

 **Hopefully what I have in place makes up for it...it's probably the only time I will do this, though. A "clean" version of what I have is in consideration as part of the "side story" story I have.**

 **Enjoy, and I apologize if the chapter isn't up to par with what I had before.**

 **If anyone is reading Gremory: Duchess of Hell, the chapter is delayed. I've decided to go on a different direction than I originally planned, so it'll take time for me to make the new chapter. To give an idea on what I'm working on, think Night Raid or The Boys series.**

* * *

"How are the Excaliburs at the moment?"

"Sir, they're on the way."

"Good. What about Ruler?"

"He's managed to deliver it to Kincaid."

The man nodded and stretched out of his throne, looking down on the servant, "This early, huh? I'd anticipated for the man to hold onto it longer."

"According to him, he might not live long enough to send it to us on the agreed date."

"Is that so?"

"He...has infringed upon a sacred agreement with us."

"Ho?" He listened with amusement and chuckled, "I see."

Now his plan to isolate her would be far more easy to execute. What an amusing turn of events. Shame he'll lose one of the more reliable fighters against the Foundation, but you win some, you lose some, no?

"I see. Tell him we appreciate his service with us."

The servant looked apprehensive at the statement, "We won't be sending help to him?"

The man looked over and the servant quickly added, "Right. No, we won't."

"Tell Kincaid to send Ruler over to The Kincaid. He'll definitely require it in order to work on the invasion."

"I'll go ahead and tell him to do that, sir."

The man sat on the throne and sighed, bored by the confinement he made himself suffer through, "I wish I could send some help to you, Freed, but until I am through with that Summit, there's nothing I can do at all..."

He chuckled, "But I already have another person to do your job anyways. That someone more powerful than you can imagine yourself to be."

The man paused, "Well, that statement might be wrong. I'm sure your imagination is boundless. But I have no need for a superhuman. Especially when you're not tested upon. I need weapons of Destruction, and Kokabiel has given me an endless supply to use, along with the research to make more."

* * *

Ethan glanced over at the girl with hazelnut hair who was swinging her legs as she sat, pink floppy hat on her lap, while they waited for the Thaumaturgists working on inscribing the magic circle and having Rias and Akeno work the intricate details of the magic circle, very much like writing a paragraph and having proofreaders polish the work.

While the Foundation gave the appearance of remodeling the back of the house, he and the girl played pattycake on the floor, watching them as they worked.

"We never formally introduced ourselves," he said as he leaned back, Rias shaking her head and pointing out an error before the group quickly erased the sigil before the mana connected and set itself to be integrated into the cluster of circles. "Ethan Sakamoto, operator for the Foundation in MTF Tau-Nine."

She smiled, a radiant smile he found oddly familiar.

 _Sylvia._

The thought made his stomach churn, which the girl seemed to notice. Concern filled her face and she leaned forward, laying her hand on his, which he drew away.

The girl recognized her mistake and leaned back herself, "Sorry. I..."

Recovering, she introduced herself, "Kasumi Toudou, Angel serving under Michael, his personal security force."

"Security?" Ethan asked, frowning. _Why the hell does the leader of the Angels need a personal group to do anything? It's like Kokabiel and Valper all over again._

In the end, he chalked it up to needing a group of people to perform morally grey tasks. A group many organizations have, and one he knew the Foundation has, though they never made that public knowledge. Not really.

At her nod, Ethan asked, "What are you doing here, of all places? Alone, no less?"

She seemed sheepish, "I actually got left behind by my team finding Angels."

He stared, partly in disbelief and partly in unamusement, "I don't know about you, but that doesn't seem like a team that should be Michael's right-hand team. What's so important about those guys?"

"They were people who held influence in Heaven before falling." She grimaced, "As for my team, they don't answer my calls." To make the point, she created a yellow magic circle that pulsated for several seconds, ending the connection after getting no reply. "They chased after some Fallen Angels that you guys almost encountered while I protected Hotel-Seven. After that...well, I'm with you now."

Kasumi smiled, "But hey, it isn't all that bad, since I got to see you again."

Ethan nodded curtly, feeling her eyes on him. He registered her words and asked, "What do you mean by 'again'?"

She caught herself and blushed, "Oh, I meant-" Kasumi rubbed her forearm and sighed, "You remember that time where you picked out several exorcists who would be most promising candidates for those 'Unlisted' teams?"

He recalled. Valper had Team Helios test every exorcist that wanted to become one of the "special exorcists." They gauged how well the exorcists applying will be. To keep it short, many are trying to become the top just for the dick measuring and ego stroking. Very few actually succeeded, barely enough to create a team.

"What about those? Don't tell me it was love at first sight shit. I'm not interested."

"You aren't?" She asked, incredulous. "Is it because you don't want to be-"

He faced her and she retreated at his look. Ethan gritted his teeth and looked away, fuming, knowing her unsaid question. "I'm not going to be looking for anyone for a long time."

"What are you talking about?" Kasumi asked. "Did Sylvia do something?"

He glared at her but stopped his gaze, she seemed frantic. "She keeps going on about you, never stopped talking about you whenever we talk."

Ethan didn't reply.

"It was always comparing you to the other exorcists, setting you as the standard. Fighting to eliminate evil from the world, and actual evil, not the things the Fathers blab on about. Doing more than just spreading the word of God."

"She's dead."

Kasumi stopped talking, "...How?" Seeing his expression, she retreated, "Never mind. It's...it's okay."

He kicked at the dirt, stamping down on the swords that were splitting the ground from underneath the surface.

"You liked her?"

"I wouldn't say that." she seemed shocked, and Ethan gave a glance. He sighed, "Okay, fine. Maybe."

He wasn't sure why he wanted to keep talking. Maybe because he had an outlet, to talk about the things he never got to speak about. Things he wished he had said to Sylvia.

It gutted him, which he hated himself for. "Honestly, just like every guy, I thought she was very good looking. Far better than most, if I were to tell the truth. But I didn't really care about her at first.

"Considering her background, I'm surprised she chose to become an exorcist, much less was allowed to be one," Ethan said as he watched Rias quickly wiping out a magic circle, her frantic efforts making the Thaumaturgists pause and reassess what they were doing at the moment.

Akeno wiped her forehead in relief and accepted the comforting squeeze of the shoulder from Eric. "From our first missions together, I realized she was shit at the job."

Kasumi recoiled and began to retort, but at a glance, she went quiet. Ethan frowned when he saw how defensive she was, "Do you know her well?"

She bit her lip, "Of course. I knew Sylvia since we were toddlers, pretty much."

"But your background, compared to hers, put you at different levels in the Church," Ethan smirked. Kasumi nodded, "I see. Don't get me wrong, she was _good_. You'd think she'd been training for years. She could match up to Siegfried without a weapon, and could blitz him if you gave her one. I know because I saw her take him down with nothing more than a metal pole. That's how fast she can assess situations and how fast she can react.

"But that might've been due to her attunement to the world's magic, being able to see and know people's intentions based on slight shifts in mana only _**she**_ could see. Strongest Magician, gifted with that title," he laughed and stabbed at the ground with a sword that was in his hands, "Ironic thing is she can't use magic. Not for long. Her body was strong, but frail at the same time. Compared to her family."

Ethan met Kasumi's eyes, who drank in everything he was saying.

"You know what made her bad?" he asked. Kasumi tilted her head, "She wanted to save everyone."

She frowned, "Why is that a bad thing?"

"Because you get locked into thinking inside the box." Ethan explained, "Alright, take the trolley problem. Say in this example, you have 5 of your teammates tied up and put on the tracks. There is the villain on the other, but if he dies, it sets in motion a time bomb that you need to stop immediately. If the timer goes off, everyone's fucking dead anyway. What will you do?"

Kasumi stopped and hesitated, gritting her teeth and looking at the team of Thaumaturgists for a long time.

"I'll kill the villain, I'm sure with the team I can trust we will stop the bomb."

Ethan put up his hands, "There we go. That's the thinking Sylvia goes through."

He leaned forward, meeting Kasumi's eyes. "That's why I dislike the Church. The Foundation would choose to kill the five teammates. If we fuck up, we're all dead anyway. The villain is there, offering himself to be taken alive. Accept that opportunity."

"But they're your team. Don't their lives mean anything to you at all?"

He sighed, _Funniest thing is she said almost exactly what Sylvia said all those years ago._

"Of course, but as the Foundation, and even as an exorcist, the safety of anyone _not in those organizations_ were our responsibility. More than ourselves and even each other, if we ever hit rock bottom."

Kasumi seemed unhappy with his words, but she nodded regardless.

Ethan laughed, "As much as I disliked that, and we clashed various times, she's the best damn teammate I ever worked with. Because like her, I want to save everyone, but sometimes, you have to know some things aren't perfect."

With an intense flash, a minimalist version of Kuoh was created and the two of them shielded their eyes.

Ethan looked at Kasumi, who nodded and stood, "You know the reason I began liking her?"

She listened with an intensity that caught him off guard. Strange how a potential rival of Sylvia wanted to listen to what could make herself more appealing to him, "Because of how we fight. I berate her for trying to do everything herself to help the many, but then she fights back by saying I do the exact same as she does. Peas in a pod, and pretty much identical ones. I hate myself whenever she points that out."

Kasumi stared at him, and Ethan swore that he saw her reddened, but there was no reason to.

"Wow," Rias exclaimed, "This is fascinating."

The head Thaumaturgist nodded, "Thanks to your help, it's a lot more accurate than it would have been. You know how it works?"

Rias pointed to the small pillars of light, "These are concentrated areas in magic, and empty spots are areas void in magic. Everything in between is a specific concentration, the intensity of the indicator is how much magic exists in that area."

He nodded, face grim. "If it is an area without magic or with a lot of magic, that's a place we need to investigate."

He pointed to an enormous plate, vaguely resembling an arena on the pseudo-map, "This is us, I believe. No accurate indicators, but we use up a lot of magic keeping this running, so I doubt it is anything else."

Rias hummed in thought as the rest of the peerage arrived.

"How about this?" She pointed to an area that was flickering, and seemingly in the shape of a house, "This doesn't look like a proper area. Not only is it void of magic, it translates between empty states and normal states of magic."

The Thaumaturgist gave it some thought, "It could be likely, if the Fallen are camped out in a spatial anomaly.'

He then pointed to several locations, "However, there is a dome here, here, and these are all places that indicate there are strong concentrations of magic."

Rias pointed at one dome that was about two inches from their current location, the relative distance inaccurate, "That is Kuoh Academy, the school I go to. My friend and I have made sure to set up defenses for that place."

He nodded, "And the others?"

"Judging by the location, we can assume these three," she pointed to three spots northwest of Kuoh, "Are the Trumvate Churches, three identical buildings that are a sacred site. By that, I mean it is dangerous for devils to enter because we can actually die from exposure. And Fallen just cannot approach the area. It is as if there is a guardian in that location."

The thaumaturgist nodded, "Something we'll need to investigate on our own time, then."

Rias looked worried, "The Foundation won't destroy the location, will it?"

He shook his head, "That is a last resort. As long as it isn't the only option, we'll simply investigate it and create a document of its properties before cardoning it off to the public." The man waved at the map, "It appears you know the area well. Are you certain that that mansion is the location where your peerage is captive?"

Rias pored over the map longer, "I'm very certain. Though I'll need to look a little longer for other locations to consider."

The leader nodded, "Take your time. We're transcribing the map into a document for you anyway. Our job is done, and now it is for you to take over."

"You're not helping any more than that?" Rias exclaimed.

"We're not operators like Private Sakamoto," he replied, pointing at Ethan. "We're simply... _researchers_ , to an extent."

She understood his words and sighed, "More people would have been helpful."

He scoffed, "More people who know how to do this job, you mean. You ready for the mission?"

Ethan stretched as Kasumi walked with a skip in her step beside him, "Damn, we have a while. So up until noon to relax and then the recce until three."

She smiled, her pleasure evident despite her silence. "I'm glad we got to spend a day together. To get to know each other, you know?"

Though Kasumi knew Ethan wasn't interested in anyone, she didn't mind, just like Irina.

Knowing that, he didn't know how to feel. She seemed really content knowing that he liked Sylvia.

And knowing _that_ , he didn't know what the hell that means. Had he known Sylvia before they "first met"? That was unlikely, since he was trained by Valper until he was sixteen, then he was thrown into Team Helios. Did she support Sylvia that much? They were such good friends they kept their distance to prevent rivalry?

He slid a glance over, seeing Kasumi make that familiar skip Sylvia always had in his presence since they did that mission in a university, posing as students.

 _There was the possibility she_ _ **is**_ _Sylvia, but the thing was, could she be?_

Kasumi glanced his way and met his eyes, blushing and timidly asking, "Did something get on my face?"

"Don't know," he replied, "It's nothing."

"O-okay," she answered. Though they _acted similar_ , Kasumi was a lot more timid than Sylvia. Granted, Sylvia was always cautious around him, but she eventually got into the habit of jabbing at him from time to time.

Which he assumed were passes at him, now that he thought about it.

It made him upset the more he thought about it. Whether it was anger or shame, he didn't know. He decided to change the topic before he got lost in his thoughts. "Are there conditions to being an Angel?"

"Huh?!" Kasumi seemed shocked at the question. "You want to join?"

Ethan noted an eagerness in her voice, as if she wanted to help. _Really_ want to help, "More curious than anything. I doubt I'll be leaving the Foundation anytime soon."

"Ah," she nodded, Kasumi didn't seem disappointed, contrary to what he believed her to be. "Well, Michael personally picks the Angels, and all of them have splendid abilities."

"And yours?" he asked. Kasumi hesitated and retreated.

"I...It's nothing special. Just a derivative of Blade Blacksmith."

"Blade Blacksmith?" he asked, remembering how Sylvia reacted to his question years ago, _My ability? I can kick anyone's ass if I wanted to._

He offered a challenge, and she kicked his ass, literally and figuratively. Though the latter was more for proving a point than rubbing salt on the wound.

It almost brought a smile to his face.

Almost.

Kasumi nodded, looking around, "I can summon Holy Swords at will, but I don't think I should do it here."

He nodded, understanding her reluctance. "No problem. I can see that once we get to the mansion."

It came out naturally, disguising its meaning as they passed a couple out on a noontime stroll. Kasumi pulled his sleeve, "Hey Ethan, how about a bite from this place?"

He was yanked into a fast food restaurant, and Kasumi ordered on her own, ordering for herself and him, before playfully telling him to pay. She seemed impervious to his amusement until they sat down with their food, to which she noticed his staring and smiled, "I love fast food."

 _Just like Sylvia._

"I'm honestly surprised, since there's a lot of good restaurants in this area. As in, _not_ fast food."

She shrugged, biting into her burger, "Well, this is quick to eat and cheap."

He shook his head, hiding the pain that was coming, _Exactly something she would say._

"Besides, you never offered to take me anywhere here."

That left him confused, "What do you mean? We just met."

"I know," she replied and chewed on a handful of fries while biting off a third of her cheeseburger, "But I had to ask _you_ out for lunch, Ethan, when all you wanted to do was sleep for the afternoon."

"Well," he picked up his BLT hamburger and stared at the place he took a bite. "I guess I can't argue with that."

They ate in silence and was finishing the rest when his phone rang. Ethan picked up, "Hello?"

 _[Ethan? This is Rias. Akeno and Eric both saw a vehicle pull up to the mansion.]_

"This early?" he asked, standing up suddenly. It was actually possible, considering that the mansion is almost certainly a location with spatial anomalies. This meant Issei and Xenovia could be tortured and killed without anyone hearing them at all.

 _[Yes. Please hurry.]_

"Of course." She hung up and Ethan nodded to the Angel, "Alright. We have to cut this date short."

She stood, slightly disappointed but more cautious, "Date?"

He smiled, "That's what this is, isn't it?"

Kasumi looked away, covering her mouth, "Nope."

Ethan swore that she was smiling, but she had wiped it so quickly covering her mouth he couldn't call her out on it.

They tossed their unfinished food into the trash and began running towards the address they recalled, ignoring the stares coming their way.

Ethan couldn't tell how long he had been running for until Kasumi pulled him into an alley, looking around and scanning it to ensure they would be unseen. He found her with her wings open and controlling her breathing.

"Tired?" he asked. She shook her head but both could say otherwise. "Are we clean?"

She nodded, not answering as she made a magic circle and teleported them to a house that was nearby, but out of sight of the mansion, finding Eric's car outside.

"Eric," Ethan called when he saw the man at the trunk. He looked up and nodded, pointing out the gear.

Ethan picked up a rifle he hadn't been before, one that was a derivative of the M4 system and Eric went through explaining how it used a gas piston system, making it more reliable than the previous ones which utilized purely gas. In addition, it utilized .300 Blackout rounds, which allowed an alternation between subsonic and supersonic.

Eric had already performed the functions check the moment the two apparent leaders entered the vicinity.

There would be no armor and no recording. This was an operation where the Foundation would assist, but it wasn't an operation that officially required the Foundation to put into its records.

Ethan and the ORC had to find Issei and Xenovia as soon as they could.

Lives were at stake and it wasn't just two devils.

Ethan brought three extra magazines and looked over to Kasumi, who had asked Eric for a UMP45, performing a functions check perfectly and racked a round.

He found himself staring, a memory leaking in, but Kasumi waved a hand and it disappeared, "I have handled guns before. Will we use suppressors?" Ethan nodded and screwed one on, Kasumi following suit with her own.

"Why do you want to use a gun when you have your abilities?"

She smiled mischievously, "I want to keep mine hidden from my enemies."

He nodded, it made sense, but they were killing anyone anyways, right?

Eric told them that Rias was waiting with everyone at the front door, all except Akeno will be present for the mission, as she will help Eric make sure nobody escaped.

Rias turned around, a crease in her forehead. She pointed up and Ethan looked as she talked, "I saw Irina and your other teammate fly in, Kasumi."

She nodded silently in response, "Good, they're excellent fighters and we can rely on them to launch a heavy assault."

Ethan scowled, "Then they'll be loud, and we need to move even faster, no more stealth."

Everyone nodded. Rias held out a finger, "Everyone?"

They touched fingertips and a magic circle appeared. Rias proudly claimed, "I spoke with the Thaumaturgists and I learnt this. Basically a radio, you just need to will it to appear."

Ethan stayed silent and it a magic circle appeared in front of his mouth and ear, "It works?"

They confirmed. "Excellent. Now let's go. Koneko, take point, I stick right behind you. Asia in middle, Kasumi, then Rias last."

They didn't protest and Koneko sprinted in, and Ethan noticed she now had ears and a tail.

 _Nekoshou?_

She seemed to be relying on aura, and the guide was a lot more, _**infinitely**_ more reliable than sight.

They passed through halls that looked exactly the same as the same ones they passed minutes or seconds ago, and Koneko pushed through doors that they passed six different times.

Yet despite the concern, she was confident. More confident than anyone else in the team.

She stated the spatial anomaly of the mansion confused her senses, but the fact that Senjutsu works on the actual world itself, everything _was_ normal to her. She could "see" and knew exactly where Issei was because Ddraig was waking up.

Koneko stopped, and pointed at a door a few meters ahead, "Six enemies inside."

Ethan strolled straight forward and pulled up before he looked at Koneko, who shook her head and pointed to the door on the right, a trick by the mansion.

He tested the door. Unlocked.

Kasumi slid up on the opposite side, and nodded. The rest of the team came up and Koneko squeezed his shoulder.

A gesture used by the military, but Ethan felt that was more of a coincidence than Koneko actually knowing. But what did he know?

He grasped the handle and twisted slowly, until it reached its limit then pushed, "Execute, execute."

The room inside was pitch black, leading into a closet, but Koneko cried, "The center of the room, walls and one on the ceiling!"

Kasumi called, "Got the middle!"

Ethan directed his barrel up and fired a two burst, and Koneko shouted, "Two down! Left and right wall, GET BACK!"

They ducked behind the frame as magic and a spear tore through and they heard fighting in the distance, presumably from the floor above. Ethan peered in and Koneko's voice reached his ears.

"Shootshoot!" He fired and heard a thud as a body fell right before him and the room became visible, the _real_ room. Ethan tracked the Fallen running for the door and both he and Kasumi filled his back with bullets, taking an entire magazine due to the protection from its wings. The final two Fallen fired another burst of magic as they quickly reloaded and Rias entered, along with Koneko, and soon after an exhale from the room from a vicious magic attack, Rias called Asia, Ksumi, and Ethan to enter.

Koneko pointed to the door, "Hurry. I sense one person running towards the lower floor."

Ethan followed Koneko as she ran, and she pushed him back as an explosion enveloped her.

"Koneko!" Rias screamed and the teenage girl walked backwards, lowering her arms from her face.

"I'm okay." Her clothes were fine, due to the magic woven through. "Enemy. Strong."

Koneko kicked a spear out of the air, making sure to avoid the dangerous point.

The heard someone clicking their tongue in annoyance and Ethan held his rifle up slightly, "Rias, retreat with Asia."

"Bu-"

" _Now."_ She began to move and Ethan saw the spear form this time, but Kasumi had beaten him to the punch, firing at the chest with a burst.

The invisible enemy cursed and he appeared, holding his shoulder, "You fucking try too hard."

Kasumi recognized him, "You're Jeryl!"

He seemed panicked when she recognized him, "How do you know who I am?"

She was shocked and Ethan saw the betrayal in her face, "But you're an Angel. Why would you do this?"

He growled and prepared to attack, but Ethan snapped his barrel to him as Koneko dropped, knowing she was in the way. He fired but the Angel agilely flipped away and snarled at Ethan, "Fucking heretic."

He opened the white wings, and floated up the cramped hallway, "I have my orders to bring back The Lost One, and you are getting in the way of plans."

Ethan narrowed his eyes, Angels are now being manipulated into reviving SCP-2440? Impossible. Unless they were trying to revive God, a being considered a Lost One, but why would God need the Boosted Gear and Durandal?

He _didn't_. Only the SCP-2440 would require such tools.

Just how far has he infiltrated to actually get some Angels to work for him?

"You're making a mistake-"

"The Lost One doesn't make mistakes," he growled, "I don't recognize you, but I can't have you reporting to Michael. He can't know."

The feathers turned razor sharp and he flapped his wings, sending it their way. Ethan dove to the wall, while Koneko followed suit. Only Kasumi couldn't reach cover in time and spread open her wings, the enormous surface covering her body entirely, as if in a cocoon.

He felt a familiarity staring at it, a sight and aura that reminded him of Sylvia again.

 _Stop it,_ he scolded himself and waited when the barrage ended to aim around the corner and raked it across the hallway, pulling back just as a feather sliced his forehead.

Kasumi opened her wings and looked over at him, "Ethan!"

"I'm fine, get him!"

She flew, and Ethan peeked, seeing him trying to retreat, and aimed down the sights, caressing the trigger before smoothly pulling the trigger to the back, hitting Jeryl throughout the back, smacking him into the floor.

Koneko and Ethan moved towards him, but Kasumi screamed, "Run, RUN NOW!"

Jeryl was dead, the Angel holding a weapon to his heart, stabbing himself. But something triggered the mansion to react, because the hallway's doors burst open and Angels, false Angels, flooded the doorway.

They had white wings, but those wings were grotesque, broken and malformed.

Ethan shoved Koneko forward and sprayed, cutting down several before he was lifted from underneath his armpits, a quiet voice whispering, "You're not leaving me again."

They flew out of the room as a ball of pulsing, black magic, tainted with purple, shredded the Angels, who promptly turned around, but the Angel holding him opened fire with feathers as sharp as knives.

Rias and Asia met the three of them on the other side, upon cleaning the false Angels.

The leader of the ORC seemed petrified. "Were those...Angels?"

Kasumi, who was holding him, mutely shook her head, "I don't know. Maybe, but it all seems so... _ **wrong**_."

Ethan stared at the corpses and blood that splattered the walls before he dragged Kasumi away from the devils, "Alright. Just who the fuck are you?"

She was taken aback at his anger, and he continued. "You act and sound just like Sylvia."

"I said I knew her for years," Kasumi quietly replied, "we were considered twins."

Ethan growled and watched her tuck her hair behind her ear, a gesture he recognized. "I don't like this. She has never spoken of you despite you _knowing_ her for years and she sure as hell didn't mention a friend. Ever."

He leaned in close, "You're Sylvia, aren't you?"

Rias grabbed his shoulder and broke in, "Now is not the time for this."

Koneko nodded, "Issei is hurt. We are close, let's hurry."

Ethan sneered but quietly pushed Koneko forward, "Lead the way."

* * *

 **Unknown File: Suspected to be █████ ███████**

Please Report this Document to RAISA  
\- ████████

 **RAISA - THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS COGNITOHAZARDS. CLASSIFICATION LEVEL TO BE RESTRICTED TO LEVEL 4 PERSONNEL AND HIGHER ON ██/██/████ DUE TO ILLEGIBILITY WITHOUT CONTEXT.**

 _ **FEEL FREE TO CONTINUE, NOTHING IS WRONG**_

I hummed as I cleaned _**the fragment of His sword**_ in my hands, a _**beautiful masterpiece**_ that could cleave through most objects easily, and anything that I couldn't cut would be under my control, and _**under no mercy**_.

It had been nearly a day since the two prisoners were transported to this place and I was beginning to believe the job was actually easier than my employer said it would be.

The initial job I took after _**that piece of shit joined the heretics**_ was to work with _**the Fallen Voice**_ to create _**His sacred weapon**_. It was easy, that job, until _**the piece of shit came to stop the boss with his little whore behind his ass.**_

I barely managed to escape with the skin of my teeth, after _**tricking that piece of shit.**_ I didn't _**kill that whore of his, but at least she died. Too bad I couldn't get a feel of her tender insides...even now it is a turn on.**_

The two prisoners stared at me warily, nervous and _**fearing Him, yes. They know that they, the lowly shits on the bottom of the food chain, cannot hold a candle to me, and the power given to me by Him.**_

"Ehehe," I cackled, "You're going to enjoy the show you're putting on tonight."

The _**Church bitch**_ gave me a look, "Nothing scandalous, I assume?"

"Shut it," _**I snapped at the sacrifice.**_ "You really like to talk, and maybe you can make some noise later tonight.

The _**useless sack of shit**_ watched warily, unsure of what it planned for them. _**No worries, it is all to His plan. The blood of his reluctantly loyal dog and the Sacred Cleaver will be perfect to helping Him once He is free to perfect this broken world.**_

The door opened out of sight in the other room and closed. Turning to look at the sound, I saw Arafel, _**once of the most loyal workers of His, recently asked by His Son to do some work for him.**_

"Heya, Cockyfuck," _**I addressed the loyal child**_ , "Where's Poopypants?"

That was the name I called his younger brother, Jeryl, who shit his pants _**when he found that He was almost stopped when the Fallen Voice was detained by the heretics.**_ Pathetic. _ **We all feared that failure, Jeryl did nothing wrong.**_

"He's pulling security for the place while we begin this."

"I see," I watched with glee as Arafel approached the two, eager to see what he wanted to do to them. How _**he prepared their use for The Perfect One.**_

The preparation was long, _**but necessary to bring Him back to meet the faithful ones**_.

Arafel approached _**the church's minion**_ first, "You know we can make this easy. I'll ask again, and this is your final chance."

I stared at the beaten body, clothes torn from the beating through the early morning. Though she bore into his eyes, defiant, her eyes gave away confusion, and the fact that she knew nothing about what he was asking about. _**Useless to The Perfect One. He'd throw her corpse aside when faced with useless trash.**_

Though more specifically, what he will be asking.

Again.

"Where is Durandal?"

Her pretty lover shouted, "Can't you see that Xenovia knows nothing?! Leave her alone!"

Arafel threw a punch into _**the dog's**_ stomach, bringing up a torrent of vomit mixed with blood as he hurled. _**Serves him right for defying me.**_ "I'm tired of your obvious comments."

"You know," _**the Church whore dared challenged Arafel**_ , "You know I don't know anything. I don't know what you're talking about!"

Arafel gave a pause, "Of course. This obviously means that wretched organization of heretic, the _**Foundation**_ , meddled somehow. How and when, before our very eyes, I don't know."

He smiled, _**knowing that He would not give up because of a simple setback either,**_ "But they might have sealed the memories, I know all about that magic. I will work through it."

Turning to the _**dog,**_ he scoffed, "Might as well get the Boosted Gear now."

"NO!" Xenovia screamed, "Stop!"

Arafel smirked, "I will only pause when you offer me a location of Durandal."

"I _don't know_." Xenovia sobbed as Arafel's hand became sharp, becoming the perfect tool, _**just like anything made by The Perfect One**_ , to extract...no, remove a Sacred Gear from its wielder. The claws are specifically made to enact fear into the wielder and the Sacred Gear into fighting back against the wielder, _**the talons of the hand came from a beast that He had slain in the beginning of his life, The First Monster, and all others now listened to his command, giving their lives to become a tool for the faithful.**_

When the talons dug into Issei, _**the dog Ddraig**_ , he began thrashing, gnashing his teeth and the scale mail began showing, which Arafel ignored, looking directly at the gauntlet. He paused as they heard a thump.

"Freed, someone is here."

 _ **Heretics? Ones that I can remove from this world?**_

 _ **Or is it that piece of shit?**_

SALVATION.

SALVATION. IS. HERE.

I snapped out of my trance, _**one that He would not approve of**_ , and quickly drew the sword, _**the perfect tool to cleave these interlopers**_.

The door burst in, and I recognized _**the piece of shit that was aiming down the sights of the rifle, firing metal shells into the faithful, silently taking them down. A weapons system only used by those heretics. Sacks of shit.**_

SAVEMENOW

"Freed," _**the asshole called, angry. Yes, because you know that we are the things that will stop your mission.**_ I got close, too close for the rifle to fire, but before I could lop off the head of _**the piece of shit**_ , _**the meddling albino cat knocked away his strike, spinning me with the force of her punch,**_ and _ **the piece of shit's whore stepped in the way, kicking me out into the center of the room.**_

SALVATION. _**That's what this world needs.**_ That's what we need. That's what I need. That's why they are here, to _**take away the salvation we, the Perfect, have to offer.**_

I coughed and spit out a tooth, _**that annoying bitch had to make it difficult.**_

As the chili pepper King that was named Gremlin stepped in, she screamed at Arafel, who started to use _**that pathetic dog Ddraig**_ , as a shield, only to have his head snapped back when _**that fucking DOG**_ broke free of his restraints and began beating the living shit out of Arafel.

"Fight me, then, you suckers," I snarled at _**the heretics and filth.**_ I ducked under a kick and rose up to slice up the kitten, but bullets snapped by my head and dug into my arm and shoulder.

I howled _**at the filth, enraged at yet another setback to The Perfect One's rise.**_ I flung _**the whore**_ into a wall, and the _**tiny mangled kitten**_ struck, but I blocked the strike and kicked her, before I was forced to slice through a ball of Power of Destruction from _**the plump chili pepper,**_ before being impaled by rounds.

The _**piece of shit**_ _**was getting fucking annoying.**_ I could not fight _ **the heretics**_ with him leading and on the field. I said nothing and retreated wordlessly, feeling _**only the whore pursue**_.

 _ **Perfect.**_

 _ **My opportunity has come**_.

I flung attacks off my back as I heard Arafel's voice become faint, along with the growing power of the _**dog Ddraig and the Church.**_

Jeryl was dead, and it seemed the small army we were given in defending The Room and The Home were all slain by _**the**_ _**fucking heretics.**_

 _ **It was such a shame that The Perfect One was getting impatient at the delay, and at the failures of his Beloved.**_

 _ **But no matter. He waited for eons. What more was a few years?**_

I stopped and turned around, bringing my sword to bear and grinning at _**the man's whore.**_

"Leave me alone, you can still leave." _**She would not listen to the voice. She will not and cannot hear me.**_

She hesitated for a moment and I took my chance.

 _ **This sword was the most powerful for a reason. The thoughts and actions of the enemy can be controlled...with enough exposure.**_

"Then we will fight."

She obliged perfectly, and her disguise was lost. Gone was the brown and entering was the purple, the liliac. She rained magic and hellfire, but all was for naught if she couldn't hit me.

 _ **Get close to her and seize your chance.**_

"Faster!" _**Laughter permeated the walls.**_

She acted to her limit, rushing in close and blocking my blows as magic struck from all directions, breaking a rib and opening my stomach with a violent kick.

 _ **But the feeling of connection was there.**_

 _ **The sword won.**_

"Stop," _**the whore**_ actually stopped and stared, fear crawling to her face when she realized her error _ **.**_

I fled _ **to give myself an advantage. A hand that I knew could be played.**_

"Get on your knees and bend over."

 _ **She fell directly into those hands when the card was played.**_

 _ **The feeling of a virgin was bliss. So pure and untainted that one could rest for a long time inside.**_

 _ **And nothing can beat the struggle a maiden puts up when they wished to save their flower.**_

I'm sorry.

 _ **Though as much as one could stay inside, staying was a threat to one's life.**_ Ihad to go.

 _ **But a maiden's whose flower is taken is now nothing but waste. Useless**_.

She stared up, the fear from minutes now replaced by dark, blistering rage.

If only I found salvation earlier.

 _ **Death looms over the helpless maiden.**_

Stop.

I had to go.

 _ **Quick.**_

No.

 _ **You fool! Kill the whore.**_

I picked up Excalibur Ruler, _**the strongest of The Perfect One's weapon fragments**_. Backing up as the eyes burned.

Yes.

 _ **No.**_

Sylvia.

I'm sorry.

Ask Ethan to save us all.

 _ **Your salvation will never come.**_

Please.

* * *

"Hm?"

The red-haired man noticed an unfamiliar scent in the air. He asked the devils beside him to continue the patrol without him. They were reluctant, but continued on.

He strolled inside the security building, anger boiling when he found the devils inside laying motionless in pools of blood.

He approached them and that was when he found the naked human disembowled and staring at the ceiling, mouth agape. He checked the devils for injury and found them devoid of any physical harm. That made him concerned but he turned around to find the door closed and locked.

He turned back to the screen and found a message addressed to him. Dread filled his body, and he tried to leave, but was unable to. He sighed and strolled to the monitors, "Alright. What do you want to show me?"

* * *

 **My Notes: I don't think there is much for me to bring up. Though once I hit chapter 13, my chapters will take a while to be released. I don't have time on weekdays to type and weekends are jam-packed with reports to work on, so I can really only type when I'm commuting to university and on breaks. I suppose I can keep my typing time to the commute home, though...half an hour is a good time to work on a chapter, and 600 minutes is good enough for a month. I suppose we'll see if I can motivate myself to type rather than do something else on commutes back home.  
**

 **Reviews:**

 **FanBoy01:** I share the exact thoughts. A manga also shows the "curtain of bullets can kill supernatural" decently well too. Vampires are stronger, faster, and more durable than a normal human, but the team threw in a flashbang, stunned the vampire, and shot down both him and his servant. Fast and efficient.

 **doomqwer:** Thank you! I think you'll like where I go after this. I hope.

 **NexusPrime42:** Yeah, I remembered when I began DMing you again, it's been months since our last contact, so I completely forgot, apologies :P

 **DT3:** Heh, just ignore the schoolgirls, they're the backup. As for ages, Ethan and Sylvia are no older than 35. I'm thinking 25 or little older for one of them, but they are fairly young. Weinberg, he's hitting his late 40s, so his time is kinda running short, in terms of in-universe contract and irl-plot. Eric is maybe 30. No older than 40. Everyone else you might remember on the team range from 30-40. Nobody else is younger than 30. For Sylvia's death, she died, but where her spirit/ghost/whatever went to is up to you to decide. What happened is that she died and was revived via Brave Saints system. She's an Angel, but now a real Angel. As for "scip" vs. "skip", I use skip because of pronunciation purposes, but the Tales saying "scip" make sense too, I'll have to decide.

.

.

.

 **Here's a list of all SCPs and "SCPs", used in the story so far. All new ones will be bolded, edited ones will be bolded and underlined:**

JSCP will denote a named anomaly inspired by sources other than the SCP(as a prefix, X denotes object, L will denote location, and C will denote an event)

SSCP will denote a subject similar to an already existing SCP, basically SCPs I'd like to use, but is too dangerous for DxD and a less equipped group like Badger Squad to actually handle.

OSCP will be anything that I can think of that is not inspired by anything, an "OC" SCP(won't mean someone did something similar though)

 _ **Chapter 1:**_

JSCP-X001: Not officially made, but think of SCP-096 except multiple times its size. And without its signature freakout stage.

 _ **Chapter 2:**_

No anomalies exist in the second file.

 _ **Chapter 3:**_

[EXPLAINED]: Just a stray devil. Not an anomaly

SCP-2440: The main SCP, in case you guys haven't figured it out by now, just go ahead and google SCP-2440 ;)

 _ **Chapter 4:**_

SCP-1730: This is the location of the chapter, although more specifically, the "depths" of the anomaly.

SCP-2316: The original Site-13 of SCP-1730 had this anomaly, so I thought it'd make sense that there is more than just one area that 2316 has occupied.

[PENDING]: Personal SCP, think Rashaka Demon from Akame ga Kill for anomaly 1, a human at the peak of all its abilities for anomaly 2, and similar to SCP-106 for anomaly 3

 _ **Chapter 5:**_

SSCP-X610: A recreation of SCP-610, except it does not seem to grow or actively aim to infect and consume organisms.

SSCP-X610-1: Organisms that are "hosts" for JSCP-X610, very much like bloaters in post-apocolyptic video games, they tend to explode to shower unfortunate operators with JSCP-X610, which would ultimately spell death.

SSCP-X096: The flesh hungry test subjects are failed instances of a recreation of SCP-096, they can be aggressive, but it takes a prolonged period of time for them to register being seen and even longer to become agitated.

 _ **Chapter 6:**_

No anomalies exist in the sixth file.

 _ **Chapter 7:**_

No anomalies exist in the seventh file.

Possible anomaly to be noted: Devil going by the name of Yuuto Kiba had abruptly switched loyalties according to statements made by the ORC. No telemetry records are available, but [REDACTED] and Kiba had become uncontrollable upon the made statements. Matches the tests done on SSCP-X096 and [DATA EXPUNGED].

 _ **Chapter 8:**_

SCP-076: Refer to the Foundation database for the full documentation of SCP-076

JSCP-X1001: _[DATA EXPUNGED]_

ALERT: New Group of Interest - Khaos Brigade _[DATA EXPUNGED]_

 _ **Chapter 9:**_

No anomalies exist in the ninth file.

 ** _Chapter 10:_**

SCP-1133: Refer to the file in the Foundation database.

 _ **Chapter 11:**_

 **[DATA EXPUNGED]  
**

 **[REDACTED] -** **Previously known as Freed Sellzen. [REDACTED]  
**


	12. You Can't Stop Once You're Freed

**Discord server invite code RYXbDpa**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **Apologize for it being late. Also working on rewriting Duchess of Hell's sixth chapter, so that might come up soon.**

* * *

 _ **"Get back home."**_

"No."

 _ **"You're done here."**_

"Not yet. I'll send Ruler to the Kincaid, but I'm not leaving."

 _ **"What business do you have here? Jeryl is dead. Arafel is captured, along with the subjects. They failed their missions."**_

"I...still haven't killed those two. You need those two out of your way, right?"

* * *

Sylvia slowly sat up and shivered as the wind bit at her skin.

Emptiness only filled her heart as she spread her legs again, wiping at the liquid that oozed from between, wiping it on the floor before screaming and punching the wall beside her, her hand quivering from the strike.

She stood, holding the tattered dress together as best she could as she summoned a magic circle and brought herself onto a familiar room.

Despite Curie saying nobody would be allowed on the property in her absence, Sylvia didn't want the ORC to find out what happened.

Much less Ethan.

Unsurprisingly, the home was as tidy as it was when she last left it, which caught her off guard when she found a letter addressed to her, in familiar handwriting.

 _I hope you recover. No matter what abyss you fall into, I will be there to help you out._

 _Regards, Curie_

Sylvia clutched it as tears threatened to fall from her eyes, but she quickly shunned the weakness, anger replacing it as she gripped the note tightly.

Holding the letter and the envelope in one hand, Sylvia exited through the back door ignited a flame, burning it to a crisp, and allowing the ash to settle on the gravel below. Stomping her foot on the rocks, she ground it under her feet and entered the home again.

She locked the door and made her way to the shower, shedding her ruined dress before tossing it into the trash, along with her underwear that she salvaged.

She stared at the mirror and at herself, looking at her matted mauve hair and dull purple eyes, which was tightened in a scowl.

"Stupid fucking Excalibur," she muttered and slammed her palms onto the counter, before shutting it into fists and pounding the marble, shaking the floor.

She wanted to release the fury built up.

It wasn't fair.

Freed was human, at least closer to it than she was, physically.

He had no magic, no weapons except for the unearthed Excalibur Ruler.

But in one command, due to its absurd abilities, he forced her to play a harmless victim.

And put her into this position. Sylvia opened her wings and wrapped the pure, white color around herself, covering her beaten body.

"How am I not Fallen?" she whispered. "Why have I not Fallen?"

She stared at the mirror before down at herself, and at the wings before retracting them and stepping into the shower, knowing exactly why.

Sylvia was a victim, no sin had been committed.

She cleaned herself much more thoroughly than ever before, wiping away at the exposed flesh from cuts and at the dirt that clung to her skin and hair. Cleaned the place between her legs until it held no trace of the demon's seed inside her.

Sylvia debated telling Ethan what Freed did, and was inclined to do so, in fact. Both of them spared no love for Freed, if Ethan didn't tolerate him.

But she didn't want to tell him for one particular reason.

Not because he was a friend, a former teammate, that notion had been long gone, Ethan told her, when Freed helped her initial death.

In her subconsciousness, she knew Ethan would tear through Freed's allies to get to him, and eviscerate Freed with his own two hands.

And she knew he would do it before she could.

Sylvia wantedit to be _her_ that killed Freed.

She didn't want Ethan to do it. Sylvia would appreciate his help, but by being so close to her, she knew he wouldn't be comfortable with just helping her, not after learning what Freed did.

Far from it.

Sylvia felt that half an hour was long enough scrubbing and shut off the water, before sitting down on the wet surface, resting her head on the bathroom wall, watching the steam before closing her eyes.

 _Freed will die._

All she could remember was his words and her paralysis, watching as he tore at her before breathing down her face as he thrust.

"You finally got your wish, you fuck," she whispered. _You will die._

She stood and controlled her heartbeat, drying herself with her towel before wrapping it around herself and staring at the mirror.

With a few rubs on her cheeks and pats, she erased the emotion from her face. She spent a little longer in the bathtub fixing her appearance before heading to her room and putting on a shirt and skirt, luckily no bruises.

With a clip of a hairpin, her mauve hair lost its bright color and it became a more mundane hazelnut brown. She debated changing the color of her eyes and eventually settled on contact lenses that would color it blue.

With a deep breath, she summoned a magic circle and called herself to the Foundation safehouse perimeter.

She waited and was greeted by several agents, demanding her purpose on the grounds. Mollifying them, she asked for Ethan's location and was given an address.

Further pressing showed it was the residence of Issei Hyoudou.

She opted to walk, thanking them for their assistance and answering a few questions, only being allowed to leave when they confirmed she was of no threat.

Pulling out her cellphone, Sylvia made her way downtown, looking for Kuoh Academy and its intimidating walls before using it as a reference point to walk to Issei's home.

Halfway there, she got a call and answered reluctantly when she saw it was Ethan.

"Hello?"

 _[Where are you?]_

"Walking to Issei's home," she answered, hearing his hand cover the microphone before speaking off the call briefly.

 _[Alright,_ _ **walking**_ _, though? I thought you'd get back to where we lost Freed. Or at least fly here.]_

"Well..." she found it difficult to maintain her tone at the thought of the villain. "I thought you'd be back home since I took so long."

He was quiet for a moment, and she swallowed, hearing his mind silently racing.

 _[Hey.]_

Her heart skipped a beat, "Yeah?"

 _[We wouldn't just leave you behind, Sylvia. Don't worry. Did so-]_ He stopped mid-sentence and she could see him shake his head. _[We'll talk later. Mind if I catch up to you?]_

"It's okay," she smiled, though it felt weak, and wiped it off her face when she remembered he wasn't present. "I'm well over halfway there. You can go back."

 _[Ok.]_

With that, he hung up and she was surprised at his lack of prying. Her heart began to race.

He noticed, didn't he?

Ethan knew something was up, was it her answers?

How she talked?

Sylvia tried her hardest to wipe the emotion from her face and after she felt the calm wash over her, she knew she would be okay.

For now.

The lights were already on inside the home and she could see people hustling about inside, some in different rooms, others in the same room.

Koneko was waiting on the porch, or maybe she had appeared when Sylvia stepped on the property, "...Ethan is waiting inside."

Sylvia blinked, "He is?"

Koneko didn't answer and slinked into the shadows, merging with the walls in plain sight. Sylvia slinked around the furniture but couldn't find her, and checked her mental list before stepping inside.

Ethan had seated himself on the couch, writing out his after action report of tonight's mission.

He glanced up and smiled, "You cleaned up. I should have guessed so after that long."

Sylvia smiled back and nodded, "I should have told you, bu-"

"No, it's fine." He pushed aside a stack and Sylvia saw it was Koneko's, presumably left for Ethan to turn in later tonight. "I assume you didn't get Freed?"

"No."

"Kasumi?" She winced at him calling her name. Did she take too long to reply? She was sure she replied quickly enough, but not _too_ quickly. "No need to be upset, we all screw up sometimes."

Oh.

"We were _this_ close, Ethan," she pinched her fingers, leaving only a small space between her finger and thumb. "I lost him."

"It's fine," he reassured. "I'm just curious on how."

She was quiet.

 _Shit, didn't think of that excuse._

She was so worried about hiding from Ethan she didn't think of a response. "Hey-"

"I don't know!" she exclaimed. "I got distracted...I don't _know_."

" _ **Distracted?!**_ " He stood and she stepped back, "With _what?_ How? What do you mean distracted? There's no way you started a sightseeing trip!."

"His minions got in my way, I just couldn't ignore them."

He sat back down, heavily. Tapping his foot, he stopped it after a second and nodded. "I see...Can't believe he has his own goons. That's a problem."

Her heart pounding, she sat on the couch across from him. "Do I need to make another AAR?"

"Yeah. Sure, I think you know how to make one," he answered, his mind brought back to the present. He made his way upstairs and Sylvia put her head in her hands, elbows on her thighs.

It was suffocating. She wanted to tell him what was wrong, but she couldn't trust him to keep himself composed and logical.

Hell, he didn't even know Kasumi was Sylvia. Herself.

She didn't want to talk to Eric, she could barely count him as a friend, and couldn't tell the ORC, having barely known them.

Sylvia was startled when Ethan put the papers before her. She didn't even hear him return. They noted their written reports silently, the silence awkward.

She finished hers just before he did and watched as he clicked his pen closed. "Something's bothering you, right?"

"Yeah." Sylvia bit on her tongue, the response coming from her heart coming out before she could stop herself.

But she didn't pause to lie. It felt as if a weight was lifted from that single answer. And the response that followed.

"We always want to handle our own problems, ourselves, myself included" he chuckled and stabbed the closed tip on the paper he had in front of him.

 _Don't ask, don't ask._

He looked up.

 _Please._

"I'm not sure what...but just talk to me, okay?" Ethan sighed and straightened all the papers before stapling them and leaving the tool on the table. "I...I lost a lot of my teammates and friends along the way. I'm beginning to like you, and I don't want to lose you too."

Her eyes met his and she blinked away her tears, feeling her chest clench as she looked at his concerned gaze. Sylvia saw that Ethan noticed them and he studied her before turning away, the observation lasting no more than a second.

"I should have sent someone with you. It was a horrible call. Fucking stupid call."

"It's fine," she retorted, "it wouldn't have helped anyway."

His hand on her head retreated quickly and she winced. Ethan was now watching her, more alert. "No. It would have helped immensely."

He stood and collected the papers, straightening them, "None of us will be here from tomorrow to at least a week. We have to do a mission debrief once the Foundation does theirs with Hotel-7. Then the ORC has their field trip for about a week. They'll return, but Badger Squad...I dunno. We might be sent to another area completely. So this might be the last time we see one another."

Sylvia flinched and opened her mouth, closing it before she could blurt out she was Sylvia. "No way I can contact you?"

Ethan thought for a moment, bringing out a cellphone, "Just add your number. I'll text you if I can take a call. But I won't know if I can."

She sighed, taking his phone before looking at him, "Is this-"

"My personal cell. No Foundation in this." He paused before adding, "Well, unless they decide to take a look at the call logs."

She let out a sad smile, nodding and typing in a number. Ethan punched the call button and she took out the phone from a pocket dimension.

"Convenient," he muttered bitterly. Sylvia genuinely smiled at his envy.

"Hello?" He nodded and ended the call. Ethan stuck out his hand, which Sylvia took and shook.

"Too bad I didn't get to know you longer."

"Me too," she said softly.

"Heaven exists, right?" Sylvia nodded. Ethan pointed, "I don't know how Heaven works, but if you see Sylvia, tell her I'm sorry. And tell her I will send Freed to Hell."

Sylvia smiled, "I will. But how do you know Sylvia's in Heaven?"

He looked at Sylvia, "If Sylvia didn't make the cut, the world's fucked up."

She couldn't help but smile. Ethan looked at the stairs then back at her, "Hopefully you have your problems sorted out."

Sylvia cast her gaze away. "Thanks."

He started up the stairs, "I'll lock the door behind you. Just go."

"Wait." He stopped and turned his head. "I..."

 _He'll kill Freed before you do. What pleasure is there beating up a dead body?_

"I hope you have a good night," she smiled, "And a good trip. I don't know if I'll be at the Peace Summit, it'll depend on who Michael chooses."

He smiled sadly and nodded. "I get it. If that's what you want to say then...good night, Kasumi. I'll see if the Foundation will ask Michael to let us work together then."

Sylvia slipped out the door, sighing as she brought up a magic circle, pinging Calreth and Irina again, who finally picked up. "Hey guys, where are you?"

"In front of Kuoh Academy," Irina's voice came through clearly. "What happened with you?"

Sylvia paused, panic quickly seizing her at the question before she cautiously answered, "I joined Ethan's team when you guys chased after the Fallen."

"I see. We managed to capture some of the Fallen, but..."

"But what?" Sylvia asked as she raised her head upwards.

 _[But we couldn't get any information out of them.]_ Irina sighed. _[We need to get back to Michael to interrogate them.]_

"Alright," Sylvia replied. Powering off her phone completely, she stuffed it into the pocket dimension, taking note of the low battery. Once done, she teleported to the academy.

Only Irina was present when Sylvia arrived. "Calreth went back to Heaven to talk to Michael."

"Without us?" Sylvia asked, mildly surprised at the answer.

Irina nodded, "He had to transport the Fallens we captured."

Oh. That explained everything.

But that statement in itself was surprising. How did they manage to apprehend hostile rogue Fallen?

Calreth's fighting prowess is definitely enough to go toe-to-toe with several Kadres with just his fists, but that itself wasn't enough to take them alive.

"Ready?" Sylvia nodded in response. In a second, they were in the throne room of the highest floor of Heaven, the magic circle underneath their feet fading.

"You guys are back," Michael commented, sitting on his throne casually, cheek rested on his fist. "I was wondering when you'll return."

Sylvia nodded and removed her cap, and her hairpin, returning the color back to its original mauve tone.

"How was the mission?"

Irina reported first, "Calreth and I managed to capture the Fallens we were hunting."

"Yes, yes," he responded, as if impatient. "But I noted a lack of appearance from you, Sylvia."

She scowled inwardly, _Where was this leading to?_

"I was working with Irina and Caltreth until we found a team of Foundation soldiers. Once we ran into them, I went ahead and protected them as Irina and Calreth chased the rogue Fallen."

Michael leaned forward, "I'm sure you recall that we don't intervene with their operations? I thought I made that clear when I reincarnated you. Their forces, unless they ask for assistance, are to be left alone."

"They were going to die," Sylvia stood her ground. "I had to save them."

He watched her with prying eyes, saying nothing. Despite that silence, she could hear him saying, _"You didn't_ have _to save them."_

"How about after?" he asked, "Surely you could have joined them after."

"They went off on their own," Sylvia responded, "They didn't answer my calls nor could I immediately find them. I stuck with the Foundation until they finished their operation."

He nodded.

"I think it is prudent to mention that Freed Sellzen has the Excalibur Ruler."

"That's good information to learn." Michael paused. "Old information, I knew since you and Calreth shut down that organ farm in Malaysia. But that's not our concern."

Sylvia froze, "No. You didn't seriously say that. You're crazy."

She felt the air ripple as the invisible guards inched forward, but Michael forced them to retreat with a glance. For the first time in the meeting, he sat up straight. "That stolen Excalibur is a problem, yes, but we can leave that to the Church. They can handle it."

Clenching her fists, she spoke calmly, "They can't handle. Excalibur Ruler will halt their progress. In addition, Freed isn't an exorcist to brush aside. Even without it, he will annihilate anyone that isn't the best of the best. Only Team Helios and anyone better can. _**I**_ can, and I want to."

Michael sighed, "I understand your concern, but I will have it done. The Church isn't as inept as they seem to be."

 _You mean, 'Isn't as inept as I say they are,' right?_ She thought. _Then why is it that you have very few exorcists as an Angel? With the exception of Irina, Dulio, and I, everyone I met here has no affiliation to the Church._

"..." Sylvia refrained from glaring at him. She couldn't understand why he was so calm, so lax about Freed. _Maybe it is my emotions that is clouding my judgement._

She shook that thought from her head, Sylvia knew that even if she included that personal vendetta, Freed is a huge threat. He could kill most male exorcists and has the power to force himself on all female exorcists.

"Sylvia," Irina finally spoke, "Wouldn't it be wiser to let this go? Actually let the Church handle it?"

She whirled on her long-time friend, and the girl retreated, frightened by the visage on the face of the most composed exorcist in their era.

 _You bitch, you don't understand what he can do. When have you seen the Church handle these types of crises expertly?_

"No." Her blunt answer caught Irina off-guard, shocked her even. She turned to Michael, "I'm sorry. I'm not letting this go. I won't. The Church won't have the capability to stop him easily short of nuking his location."

Michael leaned forward, steepling his fingers, "Questioning my capabilities?"

"No. I know the Church's," Sylvia said, a shiver running down her spine at his expression. One would give when failing to gut a thrashing fish despite the fatal injuries inflicted upon it. "They can't do it. I'm going to ask you to let me handle it."

He chuckled, "Can you? After what he's done?"

Sylvia froze as her throat tightened. No way did he know. How could he?

As the panic and fear wore off, rage blossomed and the darkness seeped in. He was mocking her, using that trauma to bring her in line.

Darkness seeped into her vision and she was tempted to dash across the room. Forget being able to be able to kill Michael. She needed an outlet. Now.

"What's with that expression?" he smiled innocently, as Sylvia felt the malice behind it, _This isn't something that was unbecoming of an Angel, something that didn't belong to an Angel._

"You are concerned about Freed roaming the earth, and you know of his capabilities. That meant you encountered him on the mission and he forced you to let him escape, right?"

He bore into her eyes with a grin and turned to Irina, "Nothing more? Nothing note-worthy to mention?"

Irina looked at Sylvia in fear when dragging her eyes away from Michael, "Sylvie?"

Heart pounding, and fists clenched, Sylvia met Michael's eyes, knowing this wasn't right, a true leader of Angels wouldn't do this. "Nothing more. I failed and I will get him this time."

She unclenched her teeth and turned around, the dress swishing at her rapid turn.

"You can hunt him down," Michael called. "But you won't be getting help from the Angels. We can't afford to spread our forces thinner than it is right now."

 _You mean you don't want to help me,_ Sylvia thought to herself bitterly.

She left the grounds in haste, violence brewing inside her from the meeting. She stormed her way to the Infinite Library. Knowing that was the best place to go to in order to start her search for Freed.

Sylvia paused in front of the three meter high doors, staring at them for a moment before pressing her hand against the edge and pushed, stepping through when she felt the portal open. The Infinite Library _was_ a library, with ladders scaling up the sturdy, two-story high bookshelves, sprawling the length of city blocks.

The library itself was several city blocks long itself, with the width of two blocks. Though the books weren't what she was looking for.

Sylvia quickly moved to the back of the library, finding the archway leading into the dark room with a seemingly normal table in the center. Glancing behind her, Sylvia casted a spell, concealing the archway with a still-picture.

It was simple, a thin barrier that was nothing more than a curtain meant to be placed in front of an object, the surface of the "curtain" a "picture" of the environment's state before it is altered.

Doing this meant that nobody would come in and scold her for using the Seeker's Heart, especially since this area was off-limits without explicit permission from Michael. Sylvia rested her hand on the table and the room came to life, silent and awaiting her search request.

"Freed Sellzen, exorcist of Team Helios. I want his current location."

In a second, the map of the world appeared, a blinking dot sitting on top of Japan. She prompted the Seeker to zoom in. She inched closer, now leaning forward to see the location scrawl across the table before it shut off.

"You're not allowed here."

Sylvia met the eyes of the library's guardian, a woman named Nami. "I apologize, it won't happen again."

She brushed past the woman, reaching up to peel down the curtain, only to realize that the librarian tore it down when her fingertips met air. Turning around, she was met with the blank expression of the woman in front of her face.

"If you disobey Michael's words, next time we will escort you out of the Infinite Library with force, and possibly forever. The Seeker's Heart requires a lot of energy to use, and shouldn't be used for selfish purposes."

Sylvia stepped back as the librarian spoke, only stomping away in disgust, feeling the eyes on her back the entire time she was leaving.

Teleporting herself to Kuoh, she found herself inside the Church Irina said she visited the first time she entered Kuoh. Seating herself on a pew, she looked at the empty room around her before staring at the statue at the front of the room.

She watched it for several minutes before standing up, and kneeling before it, shutting her eyes. "Please listen to my selfish request, and let me be able to solve the problems that are troubling me and my heart."

Sylvia flinched when she felt something brush her, but upon opening her eyes and looking around, she found nothing and sensed nobody.

Was it a sign? But if Michael was running the show, why was he responding to her now? Not when she was in the throne room?

No, it couldn't be him, he made it clear he would not help. This was all her.

Making sure the hairpin was clipped, holding back a lock of hair and hiding the true color of her hair, she made her way out of the church and towards the name she managed to read.

 _Miko Sector_.

Known for its population of religious residents, in addition to its more...unsavory residents.

A good place for Freed to retreat to. Tying up her hair into a ponytail and planting her pink, floppy hat on her head, she shielded her eyes as she orientated herself to the location.

Northwest, that was the direction she had to go to.

She strolled down several blocks and crossed various intersections on the way, understanding she reached the area when she felt a shift in the atmosphere. Now was the time to be careful.

Sylvia entered a restaurant, knowing she'd been walking for a long time, nearly one whole hour. She stepped up to the counter, finding the cheapest item on the menu, and ordering it with a drink.

Finding a table, she sat down and looked out the window, watching the scenery, though she didn't let any pedestrian escape her eyes.

When she stood to pick up her order, a car drove by and she stopped in her tracks, frowning. The driver seemed familiar, though she wasn't sure who it was. It was impossible to tell in the darkness in the night.

That troubled her. There wasn't supposed to b e anyone here in Kuoh at this time, Foundation, ORC, or otherwise.

Possibly an exorcist, but nobody ever drove, they weren't taught that at all.

Sylvia shook herself out of her reverie and picked up the tray, bringing the food to her table. Taking a large bite of her burger and chewing thoughtfully.

She might not have the help of the Angels, but she could always call on the Foundation, whether Michael likes it or not. She didn't have to let them know what Freed did to her, she simply had to tell them that Freed had gotten ahold of Excalibur Ruler, which a slightly weaker version of SCP-668.

She tinkered with the fries on her tray, stacking them on their sides and on top of each other, contemplating whether or not to let them know of the Excalibur.

Finishing the burger, but having no appetite to eat the fries, she drank another sip of her soda before tossing out the rest of the meal.

Finding her way into an alley, she observed the area and committed its appearance to memory, making sure to check the area around to ensure she had a backup location to visualize when returning to this spot.

Sylvia heard a sound from the entrance of the alley and turned around, seeing two shadows creeping toward her. "I'm not in the mood for shit," she said as they reached earshot. "Back the fuck off."

"Doesn't matter if you're in the mood," one of the boys said as his friend pulled a knife out. "You're staying the night with us."

They edged closer, not recognizing the violence that stood before them, a violence that would have never festered if not for someone who was no different than them.

"Last chance," Sylvia said quietly, calmly. "I'm not interested and you better save your asses."

They chuckled, the one holding a knife speaking, "You made a mistake coming here to Miko, pretty lady."

She was already moving before he finished the sentence, grabbing his hand and controlling it as she ducked under his arm, twisting it and breaking it as it rotated in a circle it normally shouldn't. He tried to scream, but Sylvia crushed his windpipe, the man making animal sounds as the sound refused to come out.

He released the knife and Sylvia let it drop into her hands, turning to his partner. He was running away, his friend forgotten. She didn't even try and she caught up to him, ripping his head back and slamming him into the floor as he cried out in pain.

"I think _you_ made the mistake," Sylvia smiled, her mouth stretching to her canines as she tapped the point of the knife into his neck, her legs pinning down the man's arms as he kicked futilely. She was about to stab into the vulnerable flesh when her wings opened.

That left her distracted, the pure white of the wings beginning to fade, pulsing with a mixture of black.

 _ **Falling.**_

The pain was sharp, but bearable as it reminded her she was bordering on falling.

The first kill was a pass, an act in self-defense.

But this...

This, by the broken system, was considered murder.

She looked down at the fearful face, smelling his urine and sweat as he stared up at the Angel of Death above him.

With disgust, Sylvia slammed the butt of the knife into his temple, knocking him out, and stood, looking back to make sure nobody had noticed the scuffle and quickly left the area, teleporting to Curie's home.

Upon stepping onto the carpet, she felt something was wrong.

Somebody had visited the home.

It didn't seem that someone had robbed the place, but things were definitely moved. The pots in the kitchen weren't where they were supposed to be, and there was new magazines and newspapers on the coffee table for someone to read.

But this seemed to be tidier than before. It might just be Curie visiting the place to clean up in her free time.

She found her room and entered, pulling open the top drawer in her desk to retrieve her charger.

Powering it on, she began charging it and waited for the lock screen to appear, pacing as she stared at the floor.

A notification pinged and Sylvia found a message from Curie.

 _Talk to Ethan. You need to._

She swallowed her anxiety and shut her eyes, laying down the phone. Curie, with her omniscience, knew, and sent this message before Sylvia even asked, anticipating her question hours before she turned on her phone.

Sylvia stared at the phone and began typing out a text, stopping when a message appeared from Curie.

 _Hotel-7 is in your area._

Which was accompanied with an address.

 _Visit_ _them._

Sylvia sighed and set down the phone, sitting on the edge of her bed as she gave it some thought.

She made her decision before the phone was fully charged, but waited for the battery bar to fill up anyways.

Sylvia unplugged the charger and left the room.

* * *

Ethan sat with MTF Hotel-7 at the ORC clubroom, with the permission of Rias, of course.

2 a.m. wasn't exactly the best time to stay awake, but there was no way Ethan could operate in Miko safely, especially when Freed was the target.

He was no good for the operation and had to allow Andrew and his team to do all the heavy lifting, up until they stormed the bed down location.

This was all in the day, of course. Which was why Ethan was content with operating at night in a singleton operation, as risky as it is.

If he was ever caught, Hotel-7 could deny any ties with him, along with the Foundation.

Not that anyone knows that the Foundation exists.

"We've been tailing him and he seems to have settled down here."

Ethan inspected the building. An apartment complex.

"You don't happen to know which room he is in?"

Andrew shook his head, "Unfortunately not, but we can visit that place tomorrow."

He gave the option a bit of thought before shaking his head, "We don't know who is an ally and who isn't here. I don't want you guys going in and asking a question that'll get you killed."

Andrew nodded, "So then what? There's no way we can hit that building blind. There's so many fucking rooms and so many places he can escape from. I know you don't want that asshole to escape."

Ethan stayed silent. Freed never went out at night, not anymore, and it seemed paranoia of Kasumi is the primary reason.

They can't hit the apartment because none of them knew just how many enemies there were, and a broad daytime hit was very difficult to do.

Then it clicked.

"Holy shit, I'm so fucking stupid," Ethan laughed. "Excalibur-fucking-Ruler."

"The sword? What about it?"

Ethan grinned, "You know Durandal?"

"Yeah, that scip caused a whole shit show when its aura collapsed the storage unit."

"Ruler does the same thing, the aura. All I have to do is find the room it is in. Even if concealed and contained, anyone focusing can feel it."

Abdrew nodded sagely, "Alright. So you can box in which apartment he is in. How will you get to him?"

Ethan smiled, "Just sneak in and break into the room. All I want to do is kill that fuck, compromised or not."

Andrew rubbed his temples, "This sounds like it'll turn into a shitshow."

"..." Ethan stayed quiet, before deciding, "Okay. I'll go, but only for a recce. Find the room and leave."

"Hey kid," Andrew called to him as he began to leave, "You sure you want to do this?"

"I am. You guys get some rest, I will be back before noon."

The team shared a look before Andrew slowly nodded.

Ethan recalled when he read Kasumi's report at midnight.

It was... _wrong_. Not that the report had problems, but Kasumi said she had her hands full.

Barely anyone could match up to her if she really tried to fight. He knew Michael wouldn't pick someone weak on his personal team.

Not only was she gone for about two hours, but a sterilization of the site showed no blood whatsoever, except hers.

No sign of combat, which contradicted her report.

It didn't take the Foundation long to piece things together, same applies for Ethan.

Before Eric left, Ethan requested to stay.

The official report was for searching for the Excalibur Ruler in Freed's possession, but everyone involved knew better, and he wasn't fooling anyone.

They would have denied his request if Excalibur Ruler wasn't such an imminent threat.

He looked around as he approached the building to make sure nobody was watching and slipped into areas where no cameras were watching.

Looking at the tree that reached towards the upper floors, Ethan scaled that, staying on the side further from the building and under the cover of the leaves.

He got up without any problems and landed on the roof in a crouch, flinching at the loud noise he made in the action.

He inched forward slowly, careful to make his steps as quiet as possible.

Reaching the roof access, he tested the knob and found it unlocked. As he began to turn it, he realized it could be alarmed.

Making his way to the edge, he hung down and dropped onto a balcony, sweat rolling off his back as he waited for the room's occupant to investigate the noise.

No movement.

He tested the door and scowled when he saw it was open slightly.

 _Shit. I might have a safer option if I just visited the front desk and act as if I'm delivering a package to Freed._

He cautiously slid in and listened, realizing he got lucky and chose a room where the occupant was sound asleep, snoring away to whatever dream he was seeing.

He padded across the carpet, tripping on the trash and bottles littering the floor.

With the sloppiness of the man's lifestyle, it actually explained the unlocked sliding door. He probably wouldn't realize that his front door was unlocked during the night.

Ethan exited the room and took a breath, realizing he had held it the entire time he was inside.

 _Now where is Freed?_

He summoned the heart of Sword Birth and held it slightly up, "Can you tell?"

It rattled ever-so-slightly, as if confirming its absence on this floor.

Which caught Ethan off guard. He didn't expect the sword to be alive, even if a little, it was simply a joke that turned out to be useful.

But Sacred Gears don't have souls. They aren't sapient. Unless...

"Kiba?" It gave a soft vibration, on a drastically different answer to the initial one. "Holy shit. This is crazy. Wonder if you can talk."

The atmosphere seemed to drop, and Ethan assumed Kiba was at a loss. For now.

"Let's go hunting, then."

A thorough search of the floor achieved nothing, and Ethan confidently travelled to the lower floor, repeating the maneuver again and again. The sword, or Kiba now, reacted when they passed 427.

"This one?" Ethan asked wearily, the pressure of night coming to an end and morning taking its place getting to him.

Kiba confirmed.

"Really?" Ethan asked. He didn't need to ask again, he felt the suppressed aura leaking from the door, and its grumbling occupant kicking around.

Ethan knocked and waited, "What motherfucker is interrupting my fucking morning fap today?"

The voice confirmed its occupant and Ethan quickly fled the hall around the corner as Freed began cursing when he checked the empty hall, "You shits like playing pranks? If I hear you fucks knocking on my door one more time I'm gonna castrate your ass instead of beating the shit outta y'all!"

Ethan hurried down the stairs, "Thanks, Kiba."

The sword hummed and Ethan put it away as he stepped out into the lobby, nodding at one of the residents leaving the elevator as the two of them passed by the empty lobby desk.

He checked the time and saw it was nearly five thirty. Dialing a number, he walked in the direction of Curie's safehouse.

 _[You found a room?]_

"Yeah. 427. If you take the stairs in the lobby to the fourth floor, the one between the two elevators, it's the room to the right of the first intersection you walk into."

 _[Nice work. You checked the room?]_

"We was actually awake, it wasn't difficult to recognize his was."

He heard the yawn on the other end.

 _[Good work, good work. Dylan Freemound...huh? What a pain in the ass to search the hotel database. By the way, get back here.]_

"Why?"

 _[I'll be letting you know on who will be on the operation.]_

"Sure," he answered and disconnected, making his way back to the clubhouse, where Andrew was waiting outside.

"Good, inside." He followed the team leader and paused as a woman with mauve colored hair turned around while holding a pink, floppy hat.

"Hey Ethan, I'm in need of some help for killing Freed."

* * *

Freed watched as the man struggled, screaming as the flesh bubbled around his legs. "You'll be fine."

He could see the tears of the man as he began sinking lower, the liquid flesh melting him into the substance. "Please."

 _ **"You'll serve a purpose of greater good, good man. As a reward for serving me, I'll let your children live. You and your wife is enough."**_

The man wailed as the twins huddled in the corner, staying as far away as they could from the putrid meat. In a single moment, he was gone. Freed turned around and walked out, closing the door behind him as the children began screaming. The flesh flowed and sunk into the grass, being absorbed into the dirt rapidly, until no trace was left.

"Few more hours," Freed said as he looked at the slowly rising sun.

 _ **"You ready to kill those two?"**_

It was difficult to conceal his emotions, but Freed somehow managed. "I'm ready to fight."

* * *

 **Just a reminder that the SCP list is now placed into the first chapter of the side stories. Check that story if you'd like to see if I created a new SCP. To save you several clicks...no chapter 12 doesn't have any SCP except possibly Kiba as Sword Birth.**

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 **My Notes: I think the next chapter should be on time next month. If not, I apologize. Though I can assure you that in January and February chapters 14 and 15 will be on time. I will let you guys know if anything has changed then. Can't confirm if Duchess of Hell will be on time those months, though. Sorry :(  
**

 **Reviews:**

 **doomqwer - Freed will be Freed. Soon.  
**


	13. Finally Freed Again

**Sorry for the wait, I got lazy to write lol. That's all :P**

 **Anyways, enjoy.**

* * *

I waited, ignoring the voice that whispered and bitched in my head.

The voice was annoying, and plagued my existence for a long, ten years.

It was easy to suppress him at first, but the longer he stayed, the more he knew of me. What I liked and disliked, who I trusted.

Who I _liked..._

I was tempted with desires that anyone would take advantage of, and I was growing more unstable, a condition I didn't like.

And I did things I was not proud of.

I couldn't apologize to Sylvia, nor to Ethan. The gap is too far to bridge now. The least I can do is ignore the voice in my head, tempting me to leave Kuoh and free to the safety of Khaos Brigade's army.

It was only possible because I knew who I trusted. Unlike the people he infected before, I was aware of _**Freed**_. Myself.

And I didn't want to go back. I never really liked Khaos Brigade. I disliked Michael.

Man, he really couldn't take jokes questioning his position.

 _ **Wake up you fool!**_

I jerked and from there it was impossible to control my body.

As soon as Sylvia approached, I blocked her weapon and lashed out with a foot, an attack she absorbed with her thigh.

Swords appeared from under my feet and I leaped away, only to have fly towards me and kick me into a wall.

 _ **"Annoying bitch."**_

From all around them, flesh leaked out from the walls, the two of them recoiling from the sight, _**"Now, let us start."**_

* * *

Ethan laughed and shook his head, "I am not sure if I should be angry or happy."

"I know I am happy," Sylvia chirped and approached him, embracing his tightly.

"So she'll be joining the operation?" Andrew nodded at Ethan's question. "Alright, I'll be sure to brief her."

"Let her know everything. I got word she has clearance now, as soon as she appeared."

"Will do," Ethan replied. "Good night."

"Night, Ethan."

Sylvia held his hand, and Ethan looked at her, seeing her face scrunch up in thought, waiting until silence had fallen across the room, "Can we go outside?"

It was odd request, but not too far-fetched.

They stood and Sylvia led the way, opening the door for Ethan and shutting it behind him. "Ethan, I want you to know that your request for this mission means do much to me."

"I know."

"No, you don't get it. I don't mean giving me a second chance to get Free-"

"Sylvia." She stopped and he could see the color drain from her face, "I know."

Sylvia covered her mouth as tears began flowing, her voice was barely audible as she asked a question he didn't hear.

"This whole mission is for Ruler in the official records, but we were doing it for you."

She embraced him, clenching him tightly, her face buried in his chest, "Thank you. Thank you so much, Ethan."

He put an arm around her and ran his free hand down the back of her head. "If you ever want to talk about it, I'm here."

"I will, I will. One day, but not today."

"Okay."

She looked up at him, eyes bloodshot, "I didn't mean to be rude-"

He placed a hand on her head, "You're just not ready yet."

She smiled and blinked away tears, wiping her face when she couldn't. "I'm glad you're still here. You don't know how fortunate I feel right now."

He smiled, "I don't."

Sylvia began crying again, and he let her sob into him sweater He simply leaned against the wall, running his hand down her hair as she rested against him.

"Hey Sylvia."

"Yeah?"

"Why did you come to me for help? Why not Michael, the Angel?"

Sylvia shut her eyes and hugged herself, "I don't like Michael."

That piqued his interest. The leader of the Angels? Pure and beloved? Yet Sylvia dislikes him. Or maybe distrusts him. This was going to be valuable information for the Foundation. Extremely valuable.

"What's up? Why not?"

Sylvia seemed to fold in on herself, but before Ethan could reach her to comfort her, Sylvia stood up and began pacing the lawn, "I don't know why, but when I returned, he isolated me for leaving Irina and Calreth."

"Who?" Ethan asked. "Was it that one man that was the leader of your group?"

She nodded, "Yeah. Neither of them even bothered to defend me. They acted as if I deserted the Angels."

Sylvia grabbed Ethan's shirt and snarled, "Even _Irina_ , Ethan. _**Irina**_."

That caused a lot of concern. She was open-minded. There was no way she would blindly blame Sylvia compared to Xenovia. Ethan pried her clenched fist from his shirt and she withdrew, "Sorry. I-"

"Keep going," he interrupted and she nodded.

"So...I was suspected a deserter, and can you really blame me? It's so stupid," she continued to vent, "It's as if I made a phone call to ask when and where a party is, you didn't answer, and you blame me for not being at the party."

She drew her fist back but couldn't find anything to punch, "Fucking-I need to punch something. It's so frustrating."

Sylvia whirled around and continued pacing, "So not only did he brand me a deserter, he _**knew**_ I was raped by Freed and didn't bother to offer any help."

"He knew," Ethan stated flatly.

She inhaled and sighed, "I don't know. He implied he did, but he never said anything to me."

Sylvia ground her teeth and met Ethan's eyes, "He even refused to let me use the Seeker's Heart."

She was quiet for a while and Ethan knew she wouldn't be speaking until she gathered her thoughts, "I don't know what that is."

She jumped and nodded, "Right. Sorry. It's a device that lets you see all over the world, pretty much. Say I wanted to know where you are, I say your name and narrow the description so it knows to look for _you_ , and it reveals your location, to the very atom."

She shifted from side to side, "In that moment, of course. If you're moving it'll be harder to know exactly where you'll be, but it'll give a general direction where you're going if you're moving."

"I see," he said as she explained. It was a powerful device, sounds like a powerful device. Especially if it didn't limit its search to humans only. What about objects, or events? And if it could predict the future...it's going to have an invaluable role in a war.

Which would be a big problem if the Angels became an enemy.

"So he refused to help me, and Irina is even taking his side," Sylvia said quietly. "He said specifically that he won't allow any other Angel nor an ally to help me find Freed. I'm on my own, and only the Church will be used to find him."

That piqued his curiosity. The Church?

"What if he was hinting that you could use the Church for help?" But as the question left his mouth, he knew how outrageous that suggestion was. Sylvia scoffed and shook her head, laughing bitterly.

"Good joke, Ethan." She closed her eyes and lowered her head, "I'm just glad you and the Foundation are on this operation."

Ethan gave a short laugh, "It's nothing."

"Thank you," Sylvia said quietly.

"It's nothing. I mean it." Ethan gave her a reassuring smile and patted her hand, "This is for you."

She didn't raise her head, "I love you."

It came suddenly, blurted out from Sylvia's mouth as if she wanted to say those words before something bad happened. Ethan chuckled and opened his eyes, "I love you too, Sylvia."

She gave him another hug, this one brief, and light seemed to return to her eyes. "Should we start the briefing?"

"Before we do," Sylvia said and Ethan waited. She seemed to be thinking, her eyes averted from his gaze.

"Sylvia?"

She looked at him and sighed, before kissing him on the lips. Not a peck, a hungry French kiss, surprising the hell out of him.

Sylvia pressed her body against his, pressing him back as their tongues fought. She eventually broke off the kiss.

"Sylvie. I told you friends can me Sylvie," she said before she pulled him inside, a skip in her step he never noticed before.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to use a rifle?" Sylvia sat beside him worriedly as he went through the functions check, glancing at the men and women around him that were leaving and heading to various choke-points in the sector, to ensure nobody would be able to escape.

In addition to a physical force, there were thaumaturgists present that set up a barrier as the Foundation coordinated with the local police force to set up barricades preventing anyone from entering the area.

"I'm sure." He folded the stock and put the weapon into a harness that wrapped around his chest and shoulders, seating the folded up weapon underneath his armpit, a magazine already clipped upside down on the opposite side, seated nicely on his right, if one ignored that it was pushed into his armpit.

"Of course," he smirked, "It doesn't need me to waste my energy. I'll conserve all of that to fight Freed."

She seemed unconvinced for a moment before she nodded, "So I'll stick behind you?"

He chuckled, "Of course." Hopping out of the vehicle, he fitted on a helmet and powered on the camera and synced the earpiece, Sylvia doing the same for herself. "Telemetry check."

 _[Audio check and video check, Inigo-Ten, Badger-Seven. Are you sure you want to go in alone?]_

"Yes," Ethan replied as they jogged towards the building, a dilapidated church that was frequented as a meeting place for Freed and his allies. It seemed that Freed became aware of their presence, despite how far they were, because they encountered a team that was fleeing the area, geared up in exorcist clothing and weapons.

Ethan got ready to pull out his rifle, but Sylvia acted before him, moving faster than she has previously done before, sweeping out the legs from underneath a man and smashing his face into the pavement.

The second one managed to react and started to draw out his sword, but Sylvia slid under the arm, ripping the scabbard holding a sword from his belt loop, before smashing the leather into the man's temple, the exorcist collapsing shortly after.

Before he even hit the floor, Sylvia stabbed the end into the third man's solar plexus, causing him to let out the air in his lungs. Sylvia kicked up and sent him crashing into the floor, out cold as his jaws snapped together. She turned to the fourth one, but Ethan was subduing his man. She felt the air move and sidestepped the punch from the fifth man and grabbed his wrist, ducking under his arm and twisting it up behind him.

He tried to move, but his curse quickly turned into screams of pain as she shattered his arm. She began to knock him into the ground, but someone grabbed her wrist and she whirled on her new attacker, twisting her arm free by turning it against the way it should be turned.

Her arms were slapped against her sides and Ethan shook her, "Stop."

The darkness ebbed and she found herself panting, extremely short breaths as sweat slid down her neck. "Sylvia. I told you you need to stay focused."

She nodded rapidly, her eyes closed. Sylvia swallowed as she took in a shuddering breath and hugged Ethan, her arms around his torso as her chest was up against his, her head on his shoulder, the form of the weapon rough against her arms. "If you keep this up, you'll need to back out and return to a site for a psych eval."

"I don't want to," she replied and Ethan held her cheeks, making her eyes meet his.

"Then _focus_. I believe in you."

She took a breath, "Alright." He tilted her head down and kissed her forehead, surprising her.

He looked concerned at her expression, "Hopefully it wasn't uncalled for?" Sylvia smiled and shook her head, pleased at his cautious progress.

"No, it wasn't," she answered as a field agent arrived and began to restrain the unconscious targets. "Shall we go?"

He nodded and they headed out again, Sylvia trying to stamp down the abyss that billowed underneath, reminding herself not to lose sight of the big picture. As she opened her wings and inspected them, she wondered how she had not fallen, and why.

 _[Inigo-Ten. Head out of the gutter.]_

She was startled out of her thoughts and looked up to see Ethan staring at her. "What? Never saw an Angel before?"

He seemed amused at her jab, and responded with as much vigor, "Not one demanding as much attention as you do."

She pouted as she caught up with him, "Is that an insult?"

Ethan chuckled, "If you let it be."

She landed a light punch, one he didn't bother evading. As they neared the church, Ethan pulled out the rifle and looked as Sylvia, who had her back against the wall beside the door. He squeezed her shoulder and she went to the center of the large doors.

They opened silently at her push and Ethan aimed down the sights of the rifle, smoothly breaking the trigger to the rear as his eyes and barrel found the exorcists standing and turning at the light.

As if in a video game, his weapon snapped instantly on target, his aim unwavering. The suppressed shot made as much noise as a pellet gun, letting out cracks, but nothing attention grabbing.

Four more were down and Ethan's magazine ran dry, and he ducked behind the wall as Sylvia took his place, spreading open her two pairs of wings, the four wings blazing in light and energy.

There was no worry to be cautious, and there was no need to be reckless. She brought up a line of magic circles and each one fired off five rays of magic, traveling faster than a bullet as it zipped and twisted in midair, making sharp turns and changing direction until they found their marks, spearing three other exorcists before exploding, showering the floor and walls with blood, bone, and organs.

Two more collapsed, each with a dime-sized hole in their head and a third one collapsed when his torso was perforated, his weapons dropping on the floor.

Ethan hung the rifle by his side, holding it loosely before dropping off the weapon and harness at the front door as several vehicles approached and surrounded the area.

Sylvia caught him looking at her with disapproval, "Did I do something wrong?"

He pointed, "That might be overkill."

She began to speak but he held up a hand, "Forget it. Hey command, let the cleanup team know to be careful. I don't know how many of Khaos Brigade has Kokabiel's subjects."

 _[Roger all.]_

"They look plenty dead though," a woman spoke up from behind them, her helmet muffling her voice. Sylvia saw Ethan nod in response before she waved them away, "Get to work on the others. We'll take it from here."

Ethan looked into the wings of the building and approached the statue when he found nothing. "See if we can move this."

The cleanup team approached and held rifles at the floor, the same ones Ethan used: an AR platform functioning on a piston system that utilized .300 Blackout rounds.

He set his hands on the surface and Sylvia joined him, both of them straining to budge the sculpture weighing several tons, the weight easing up when they got it moving.

A depression was revealed and Sylvia pushed down on it, the stone crumbling away into a pit as the magical barrier holding it together fell apart. The only access was a ladder.

Ethan climbed down first, and Sylvia glanced at the team before joining him, and stood nearby as a couple of the team members joined them. Ahead was a large sloping path that descended far into darkness.

He tossed a hand-sized rock down and listened to it roll down the ground. Nothing moved and the tunnel stayed dead. "We'll go now."

The man standing nearby nodded and urged his partner up, and followed suit, and Ethan began moving when they heard the team setting up fortifications as they waited.

"Command?"

 _[Connection is just a little...tty. Video is clea...we didn't get...audio.]_

"Roger all."

Ethan pulled off their earpieces and covered the mic. "Sylvia. Look forward."

She did. "Sylvia, I didn't think you needed to vent your anger. Not against them. We need them all alive. But when we meet Freed, feel free to unleash hell. I won't stop you," he said. She could hear the hesitation in his voice.

"We hadn't found Ruler yet," Ethan continued. "None of the teams intercepted. But if he lives and mocks you for what he did to you..."

He didn't need to finish the thought. "Hey-"

"I want to let you know. The Foundation probably noticed we don't have Ruler. I could escalate it so we're forced to kill him."

She was silent, and when he held up her earpiece, she thought for a long moment and took it when she didn't think of anything to say.

"Sorry, command. Inigo and I just needed some private words before we met Freed."

 _[Un...ood.]_

They approached the bottom of the steps and into a large chamber, half the size of a football field.

At the center sat a man in a pair of black shorts and matching black t-shirt.

If not for the mysterious light all around, bathing the room from top to bottom, they would not have seen him.

In his hands held a simple sword, a blade two inches wide and two feet long, a sword that didn't hold any mysterious power.

"All elements, Ruler is not with target," Ethan made a call to the entire network, "Requesting escalation to level 3 search."

Sylvia kept her eyes on Freed the entire time but the man did not budge. Not even when Ethan's voice echoed throughout the chamber.

 _[Recei..ed. Relaying req...Continue at...escretion.]_

Ethan looked at Sylvia. She nodded as her heart began to race.

The darkness swirled in her vision and she wanted to kill Freed here, _**now**_. Forget playing fair and square.

"We could, you know," Ethan said, reading her thoughts. He summoned a sword, _Kiba's_ sword from his Sword Birth, and looked at her.

Play fair.

What was the meaning? Did it exist? The Foundation struck ruthlessly and efficiently, playing the scalpel and hammer whichever served the purpose better.

Terrorists originating from Chaos Insurgency? Airstrike.

SCP-076? Abel? Explosive collar when he entered bloodlust.

Not fair.

Freed? When he utilized Excalibur Ruler to force her onto her back and legs apart? Where was the fairness in that?

Chivalry should be killed, and made to stay dead.

Because the person playing the chivalrous knight will die.

And she played fair when she could.

Which was a reason she was so skeptical about the Foundation.

Where was the care? The empathy?

Until Freed.

She looked at Ethan, who was waiting patiently for her choice.

It was hers to make. Not his.

He made this mission happen for _her_ , to solve _her_ issue.

She approached the man, and as she did, a cold chill traveled down her spine. Sylvia blocked the attack as Freed seemed to turn around instantly.

He lashed out with a foot, an attack she absorbed with her thigh.

Swords appeared from under Sylvia's feet and she leaped away, only to have Freed fly towards her and kick her into a wall.

 _ **"Annoying bitch."**_

From all around them, flesh leaked out from the walls, the two of them recoiling from the sight, _**"Now, let us start."**_

Sylvia opened her wings and took off as Ethan took out a sword, pointing it at Freed.

" _ **So happy you two are here.**_ " The Freed they had gotten used to, the one _Sylvia_ knew was now here.

But then what happened with Freed earlier? She saw Ethan shed a tear before the expression hardened, "Freed. Last chance."

" _ **Last chance? For what? I'd join you in a threesome if your little whore is included**_."

Despite the comment and lecherous looks, Sylvia felt nothing. Devoid of emotion. Because all he wanted was a reaction, for her to slip up.

All she had to do was shunt away the memories.

Forget the face as he leered over her.

And the feeling of his body slapping into hers.

All she was here to do was kill Freed.

No mistakes will be made.

Not this time.

When she said nothing, he stared at her before looking at Ethan, " _ **You know she feels good? Have you been inside her?**_ "

"Least you could have done was ask."

The leering faltered.

Ethan pointed and swords flew at Freed's feet and the exorcist leapt back, his worry replaced with annoyance and disgust when Sylvia spread open her four wings, the wingspan spreading to it's enormous six meter length, raining down tendrils of magic. He nimbly dodged the attacks, contorting his body into impossible positions as he snapped his back into ninety degree angles to avoid the attacks.

He leapt off the ground and landed safely away as the magic disappeared.

" _ **Fine, be that way, you fuck buddies**_."

The room began smelling and it soon became apparent why, the flesh that leaked out of the walls were pink, mingled with various shades of red, black, and littered with shards of bone. Human remains blended and liquefied.

They were literally made of liquid flesh, all muscles, tendons, and blood.

"Holy shit, _**Command!**_ "

 _[You...alone. Termina...we...ill get sampl...later.]_

"Got it."

Sylvia conjured magic from her palms and instantly, one pillar ignited in molten flames, and Ethan shot his head up at her. She could see the amazement on his face and couldn't help but smile.

It felt liberating not being limited to a human's mana when using her magic. But that was soon taken away when the pillar writhed and twisted, as if having a mind of its own. It aimed at Ethan and she shouted in warning, but he was already moving.

She quickly focused on herself afterwards, dodging under the tentacles of human flesh, twisting midair and projecting a bubble when the molten flesh crashed into the floor, sending the heated up liquid all across the room.

Once that mass of flesh became still, it bubbled and jumped before joining together to create a humanoid form. "Shit, Command, you want to send some backup?"

 _[Occup...him. We'r...nding in forces so...]_

"Alright," Sylvia looked at Ethan in concern as he twisted and dodged the strikes of Freed, dancing around the man as he eyed the moving flesh warily, sending the blades flying at Freed from underneath his feet.

But how could she get rid of the living flesh? Maybe she couldn't get rid of it, but what if she stopped it in its place?

She paused and watched the flesh continue to assault Ethan, the man darting around Freed and seeing her frozen midair. Freed glanced up and soon the flesh raced her way. Ethan cast a quick glance up before charging Freed.

Sylvia exhaled and her breath became visible in the dungeon's air. She quickly grabbed at it and mimed throwing it at one set of flesh, before slapping at the second one.

None of it touched her as the air solidified into a casing, engulfing the flesh completely, digging even underground.

When they stopped, Sylvia admired her work and quickly plummeted when a tentacle of flesh flew at her face, the humanoid figure targeting her. She was about to encase the creature in ice, but leaped back with all her might as the final mass of flesh flew her way. She crashed onto the floor and rolled multiple times as the mass collided with the encased flesh, spraying the liquified meat everywhere.

She was about to bring up a barrier but quickly began to worry about Ethan. Sylvia ran under the flesh and leapt over the puddles of flesh as the ice began to crack. She cursed when she figured out that she didn't make the magic strong enough. It was a test at best and she expected it to fail.

Finding Ethan, she quickly raised a barrier around them. She found him breathing heavily as he stabbed a sword into the ground. "Thanks."

He was bleeding from his face from minor cuts and on his arm, where a sword had split the flesh.

Sylvia looked at the flesh breaking free after wedging itself into the cracks made. "Ethan. I think it's better to kill Freed."

"Kind of figured that," Ethan replied.

"No, I think he's controlling the flesh," she answered. "Even when I was wide open, it never looked at me until Freed did."

"Hm," he thought and winced as the flesh slammed against her barrier.

"It's alright," she said, "I'm putting my entire strength into the barrier. Anything short of a god's attack won't fracture this."

He nodded, "Think you can bait Freed in?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Is there any way you can tweak the magic so that humans can exit and enter?" He waved towards the flesh that as attacking the barrier relentlessly, "It's not like we can get out anyway."

She hummed, "It's...risky. I don't like the idea of..." Her voice died off, "I'll try it. Just let me cast another barrier."

Sylvia slashed a finger through the air and pointed up before bringing it straight down.

"Does every magic you cast need a silly gesture?" She blushed and slapped his arm.

"Shut up, it's a habit," both of them were smiling despite their situation. She could cast the spells instantly, but she had to feign weakness so anyone watching her would think they could attack her during her "vulnerable state." Though this was more of an advantage when she was casting defensive rather than offensive spells.

Just as she cast the spell, the flesh shifted and Freed jumped in, a gleeful look in his eyes. Ethan rushed forward, but Sylvia canceled the barrier, gambling that Freed would do what she expected him to do.

The light from the barrier faded, and the flesh all around them collapsed on top of them, the shadow causing Freed to look up.

Just as she deduced, the flesh was under his control.

With death literally looming over him, Freed stopped the flesh from falling and shoved them all away, towards the far edges of the room. Ethan rushed forward and grabbed his shirt before he backed up towards a corner, gesturing towards Sylvia to do the same. Freed tried to summon the flesh, but Ethan slapped him so hard, Freed had to spend seconds to focus on Ethan's face as the flesh fell back. "Where's Ruler?"

" _ **What**_?"

"Excalibur Ruler, you fuck," Ethan snarled. "Where is it?"

" _ **Heh**_ ," the exorcist spit out a tooth, " _ **You're not finding it. I will have possession of it by the end of today**_."

"Comm-" Ethan looked around for his radio, which was missing. "Fuck."

He tossed Freed onto the floor and the flesh moved, but Ethan swiftly stomped on Freed's left knee, causing the man to scream and the flesh lose its form. "I'll ask again. Where is Ruler?"

" _ **Buy one from a department store**_ ," he heaved and Ethan nodded before slamming his face into the floor.

That was when Sylvia saw four humanoid creatures form and began running at them, and the sight shocked her. She was certain that the creatures weren't sentient, but here they were, acting on their own, and she was sure Freed couldn't think through the pain.

"Fucking hell," Sylvia snarled, and simply gestured, shifting the area around them and containing all the flesh into a compact box.

"Now, Ruler," Ethan said after turning around when Sylvia cursed. Freed stared at them with wide open eyes.

His eyes shifted back and forth, snapping to the side when Ethan struck, " _ **I'll tell you if you don't kill me**_."

Ethan looked at Sylvia as darkness seeped in from the edges of her vision, "You _**fuck**_."

He grinned as Sylvia snatched him from Ethan's hand and hurled him across the room, sending him into a wall. She approached and held him up, "Tell me."

" _ **Maybe if you give me head, I'll consider-**_ " she slammed his face into the wall, and to her surprised his head didn't cave in.

"Stick your dick into that wall," At the same time the thought clicked, she felt the edge of a sword put to her neck.

"Put him down." She looked at Ethan in shock, "We need him alive."

"But you-"

"The mission's changed. You can harm him," he waved at the damage to the cave, "But this is killing him."

Her stomach dropped. "I..."

"Tell us and you will be apprehended."

"No!" Sylvia shouted as Ethan approached. She began to move, but Ethan whipped out a pistol and aimed at her torso.

A Glock, nothing too dangerous.

In fact, a pathetic attempt to stop her, but she paused, betrayed. It wasn't even the weapon that stopped her. It was Ethan's conviction.

Despite his promises, despite being _Ethan_ , he put the mission first.

She understood that, and she abhorred it. Sylvia knew why Ethan was willing to shoot her to keep Freed alive. Losing track of the most powerful Excalibur is a fatal error.

Sylvia stared at Ethan as the darkness retreated, and her vision blurred.

"Let him go."

"I..." Sylvia let go and turned away as Ethan's boots crunched on the rocks.

" _ **Make me, dog,**_ " she heard Freed say. " _ **Doesn't the magician girl have some magic trick to force me to confess?**_ "

Sylvia grit her teeth. Ethan' shoes shifted slightly as he squatted.

"Freed."

"Siegfried will get Excalibur Ruler." Sylvia whipped around, "You know that Peace Summit?"

"Yeah."

"Khaos Brigade is attacking. It's an ambush."

"Who set it up?" Sylvia looked back and forth between the two men.

"I dunno."

"..." Ethan nodded, "That's all you know?"

Freed winced and hissed, having a seizsure for a few seconds as he seemed to fight something inside him. "Yeah...yeah."

He looked up at Sylvia and she recognized what happened.

 _This_ was Freed Sellzen. Who became possessed by someone. This was who she used to know.

"I'm sorry," he said as he met her eyes, "I didn't want to."

"I..." Ethan nudged her and handed her the pistol, which she held, the grip comfortable in her hand.

" _ **Don't you dare-**_ " the Demon snarled. " _ **I gave you the location. You promised, bitch.**_ " _ **  
**_

The barriel found his forehead and she pulled the trigger, "Right, but I never agreed, dumbass."

Ethan nodded and said, "Farewell, Freed Simon. I'm sorry I didn't do anything."

Sylvia watched as he knelt down and closed the man's eyes, before he stood and pointed at the box, "Open it up."

Sylvia stumbled, "What?"

"Open it and kill them."

"How?"

He shook his head, "Somehow, stab them, blow them up, I don't fucking know."

Sylvia looked at the box and it instantly vanished, and they watched as the liquid fell to the floor. Sylvia noticed a detail at the same time as Ethan did. "Hearts?"

Despite the liquid properties, each part seemed to be attached to a central "heart." They began shifting and Sylvia flicked her fingers at the fresh, stabbing all four of the hearts. The liquid stopped trying to create a solid form and oozed to the ground.

"Nice, that was a lot easier than I expected," Ethan said. Sylvia turned to him, seeing him staring at Freed's unmoving body.

"Ethan?"

"Recently," he said simply. "I noticed he was acting weird, _abnormally_ , I guess, as the years went by. Didn't think it was linked to this huge plot."

"Did you send me after him just so-" She stumbled at his disgusted visage, and immediately regretted her question.

His expression softened and he nudged Freed's body, "Sorry I made you think I would turn my back on you."

"Why?"

"I had faith Freed would pull through."

"If he didn't?"

Ethan looked at the hallway, "I'd still let you kill him. I dunno what I'd do after, though."

She wasn't sure how to answer. Thinking about it, if she did kill Freed, then his fears would be fulfilled.

Excalibur Ruler would be in the hands of Khaos Brigade.

Ethan would be terminated, at the very least administered heavy amnestics and sent far away from Sylvia.

Then where would she be?

Sylvia held him, and he pulled his arm free, "I'm glad the gamble paid off."

They looked up at the crunching of boots, "About time."

"He's dead?"

Th team looked at the flesh sprayed everywhere, and at Ethan's bloody side, before fanning out and bringing out syringes and containers.

"No Ruler?"

"No." Sylvia opened her mouth as the team leader stared at Ethan.

"Can we speak in private?"

"Yeah."

"Ethan?" Sylvia asked fearful, knowing he gave an answer which would kill him. Ethan only raised a hand. The team leader took him aside and began speaking furiously, from the gestures. Ethan, however, didn't seem to mind and kept calm, the leader eventually listening intently as they continued with the conversation.

"You hurt?" Sylvia looked at the corpsman who approached with a kit in hand.

"I'm fine."

He looked down at Freed and nodded, "Feels justified, doesn't it?"

Sylvia looked at the operator in shock.

"Getting back at the person who ruined part of your life just feels right." Sylvia listened to the woman's words as she jogged towards Ethan, who was escorted out of the cavern. Sylvia got the attention of the team leader.

"Is there anything I need to do?"

"Nah, we got it handled. Samples are collected and we managed to get some bodies out of this liquified mess."

"What about Ethan?"

The team leader leaned in, "He's going to be fine. He'll need to host a long conference with the site admins about the findings, and we'll need to prepare a whole plan around the fact we need to fake ignorance if the Peace Summit assault. Gonna be pretty fucking tricky to do."

"Can I go with him?"

He nodded, waving a hand, "Go on. We got this covered."

* * *

To: MTFs selected to review XK event SUNRISE

Subject: On suspicions of Inigo-Ten

 _Inigo-Ten has growing suspicions on the behavior of Badger-Seven. While she does not appear to be aware of Procedure-VERILOG, she is beginning to mistrust Badger-Seven. Badger-Seven was forced to reveal vague details on the outcome of the contingency plan as the source of his worries. Reminder to all MTF groups involved are to_ _ **NOT**_ _reveal details of said operation from Predicted XK event-SUNRISE. Refer to [REDACTED] for the event you are assigned to react to._

 **[BEGIN LOG]**

"Hey Ethan."

"Hm?"

"Just what else aren't you ever telling me?"

"...Whatever is classified. You know, level 3 or level 4 stuff."

"I don't mean that. I mean-"

"I know why you're asking. I'm never going to stab you in the back."

"For some reason, I can't believe that."

"Can't say I blame you, Sylvia."

"Can I trust you? I...I want to, but I'm scared."

"You can trust the Foundation to do the right thing."

"Can I trust _you_?"

"...I won't ever betray you."

"Why do I feel like...I have a bad feeling about it?"

"Because, there are decisions we have to make, whether we like them or not. And as much as I want to keep you happy, I know it might not happen."

"What's that mean?" He didn't answer. " _Ethan_."

He sighed.

"Not everyone will make it out of this campaign alive. Myself included."

"You don't know that."

"I know that we don't know that. But we're now fighting a god and an enormous terrorist group with Kokabiel's various experiments. Whatever Valper made, Kokabiel made stronger. We've seen zombies with corrosive blood, faux Angels, freaks that turn berserk at a glance. Then now...where we're going, Michael...Captain Weinberg Michael, got himself into a huge mess, and they're figuring out what the hell he's fighting.

"That's four sets of different experiments, Sylvia. I can keep up only so much before we begin fighting demigods. There's only so much the Foundation can do before they have to bring out the big guns, then when that no longer works, then what? What after the big guns? We begin using SCPs? We begin experimenting with SCPs to merge them with MTFs?"

Ethan clicked his tongue, "That'll be breaking the very core of why the Foundation exists. We're not supposed to be exposing all of these things to the public. But once the war breaks out, it'll be inevitable.

Sylvia kept quiet. "I..."

"You're one of the few people who can change the tide of the war. Azazel and Grigori are ready to fight, if not all the Fallen Angels, then it's you and them we need to rely on. We need all of you to even stand a chance to take out all the factors to revive SCP-2440. Even if it means we die.

"I already spoke to you a bit when you said you were Kasumi. We'd like to think outside the box to only get the bad guy killed, but it's not turning out well. We need all three factions to stand a fraction of a chance."

"..."

"Keep that in mind, Sylvia. I'll never betray you, but there is no way I can possibly live to see the end of the war."

"I don't like it."

"Neither do I."

 **[END LOG]**

* * *

 **I think the next chapter can be released on time. I'll need to see to make sure if I can deliver on this promise. Discord server invite code is in the previous chapters. Anyone interested can go check it out.  
**

 **Reviews:**

 **Guest01:** Technically, all Sacred Gears are SCPs. In terms of the SCP universe, all Sacred Gears _should_ be SCPs. For example, Kiba's Balance Broken Sacred Gear can be JSCP-823, and the wielder will be considered JSCP-823-01. Kiba's Sword _is not_ a mundane sword. Kiba himself is a version of Kokabiel's SCP-096 experiments, so that's why, if that is your question.

 **O Sancte Dues:** Assuming you're talking about SCP-2440. They could definitely try to do that, but according to the official wikia logs, they hadn't. Because it's too risky(and stupid) to intentionally release a god and get rid of him, even if they have the help of the GOC and three other factions. _**Especially**_ if said god is a reality bender and cognito-hazard. It's more logical to get rid of everyone that knows about SCP-2440, because they can actively prevent him from rising, ever.


End file.
